Vince woke up really... slowly. It was sort of hard to open his eyes when the sun was glaring through the window, practically blinding him if he dared to do more than squint. His face was warm from the sunlight resting in it for hours, as he sat up, he placed his hand on his head, finally opening his eyes groggily.

"Wha.. Where am I???" He mumbled, rubbing his eyes. He hasn't felt like this in forever. Usually when he woke up, he barely felt like he needed more sleep, and he never really felt this tired. Always ready to just get right up.

"Uh, on my couch, in my apartment." Rody replied, looking up from crouched beside the couch, having just scavenged the mini fridge for food. He gave Vince a small smile, before turning back to the fridge, grabbing the cheesecake he had been meaning to eat sooner than later. It seemed to be one of the most appealing things, to have in the morning that is. Not like he'd have pasta for breakfast.

"Did you sleep well? You've been knocked out for hours." He chuckled, closing the fridge and standing up. He went to the kitchen to grab a fork, and an extra just in case Vince wanted any, and walked back to sit on the near arm of the couch.

"Hours..? What time is it??" Vince asked, stretching his arms, letting out a quiet yawn. He kicked the blanket off his feet, moving his legs to hang over the couch.

"Mmh, around like.."
Rody started, his mouth full of food, and he paused, swallowing, making his voice better heard
"Eleven?"

"Eleven????" Vince repeats, sounding shocked. He rubs his eyes again, not believing it. "I slept the entire night??"
He hadn't slept like that in forever. Not since elementary school. Ever since middle school his amount of sleep only decreased. This was.. a pleasant surprise.

"I guess... I haven't exactly slept like that in a while. So, yeah. I slept well." He shrugged, looking over to where Rody was perched.

"...Is that the cheesecake I made you last week?" He asked, pointing to the plate in Rody's hand. Rody turned to him and nodded. "Yeah, want some?"
"No. Just wondering."

"...Do you like it?" He asked after a moment of silence, waiting for Rody's delayed response. "Yeah, though it feels like it's missing something. But what else am I gonna eat, I can't cook to save my life." Rody chuckled.

"I've been cleaning all morning while you've been dozing off. Whatcha think?"
Rody chirped, finishing the cake on his plate with a rather proud smile on his face.

As Vince looked around, he realized Rody had done a good job. It was way more tidy than it had been the night before, that's for sure. The coffee table had the song sheets in one pile, the letters in another, along with the magazines in one as well. However, the notebook he had seen was completely gone. However, that was not his business.

The floor looked tidier, and the kitchen looked as though it had been whipped down. The boxes by the bathroom were gone, so Vince assumed he'd thrown them out. All in all, it looked a whole lot better. It could still use some touch ups, that was for sure. But, for Rody, Vince could tell he was proud of himself, so that was all he cared about.

"Looks a lot nicer." Vince hummed, looking back to Rody's kitchen. "Say, you got coffee?"
"I have coffee beans, if that's of any help."
Rody shrugged, his eyes following Vince as he got up, and walked to the kitchen. "You want any?" He asked, looking back to Rody, who was sliding off the couch arm.

"Any what?" "Coffee, dimwit. Do you want any?" "Oh- right- yeah." Vince nodded, looking back to the cupboards.
"Here. They're in this one." He heard the older man's voice behind him, rather close as Rody reached up and opened a cupboard a little to the right of where Vince was looking. Rody was standing so close to Vince he could smell the cologne on him and his clothes, and he smelled good.

Vince had to keep himself from staring at Rody for too long, looking up to the cupboard Rody was having trouble getting the coffee beans out of, as they were in the back, and he could barely reach them. Vince sighed, a small amused chuckle escaping him as he reached up and grabbed them for him. He barely realized how close they were, compared to Rody's slightly widened eyes, and tinted cheeks.

"Ah, thanks." Rody said after a moment, clearing his throat, stepping to the side away from Vince.
As Rody watched him, he seemed to know what he was doing. Though why wouldn't he, he was a professional chef, of course he would be able to make coffee.

And then there was Rody, a man nearing his thirties and petrified to make anything in the kitchen, thinking he would light something on fire somehow.

It didn't take long to make it, and during the time Vince was making coffee, Rody had gone back to the couch, and played a couple tunes. Well known ones, ones he made up, etc.

He couldn't hear it over playing his guitar, but Vince was humming along to some of the songs he was playing. The well known ones, obviously, but he recognized the tune of the song Rody played the night before. The one he had written specifically for Vincent, for that specific occasion, on that specific night.
It was actually really romantic, if you could view it in that way. It was also sweet, thoughtful, wholesome, so many things.

The more Vince thought about it, the more he felt he wanted to be around Rody. Be near him in any way. It didn't matter how, he didn't care. Whether that be at work talking to him, outside on a smoke break alone, or just him brushing past be it at his house, any way. He wanted to be near the man more than anything. It was a weird feeling. He wanted him so close.

Like he wanted to be him. Be under his skin, perhaps, inside him in a way. Or maybe, maybe the other way around.
This man held an importance to Vincent in a way he couldn't explain. No word in existence could explain it. What was more concerning to him however, was how he felt this only in a few weeks. He wasn't sure if that was normal.

———★———

10 minutes later, Rody abruptly stopped strumming his guitar as his nose was filled with the smell of freshly made coffee, and he could hear Vince pouring it into two mugs. Rody smiled as he heated one other thing though, which was Vincent's humming. It made him feel all fuzzy inside.

Like he was appreciated.

Vince added the extra stuff like cream, and sugar, or at least to Rody's, since he knew Rody didn't like butter things. He didn't care for his own though, you know, the whole tasteless thing.

Rody gives Vincent a sweet smile as he's handed his cup of coffee, and he felt like he really needed it after doing all the cleaning and rearranging all morning. Vincent however just needed it to wake up properly.

Rody took a sip of his steaming beverage, and sighed, leaving down onto Vincent's shoulder as he relaxed.
"Getting comfy now, are we?" Vincent asked, his voice with a tinge of amusement to it as he looks to the older man with a slight smirk, before talking  sip of his own coffee.

"Yeah- well, you're not the one who had to move the couch like four times with another person on it. I'm tired, lay off me for a moment." Rody mumbled, closing his eyes as he felt the sunlight through the window heat up the back of his head.

"Also, you did this to me last night, so you really can't argue wi-" Rody was cut off by Vincent placing his head against Rody's, exhaling softly as he relaxed against him, an ever so slight smile painted onto his expression.

"Mmh, what was that?" He asked, his voice quiet as he teased his employee like this. He found it somewhat entertaining, to see how Rody would react to his actions.
However, instead of making a fuss out of things, or anything like it, Rody simply smiled at the gesture, closing his eyes and leaning into the back cushions of his green tattered couch.

He liked mornings like this. When the sunlight glared through the window, bright enough he didn't need to turn on his lights, when it warmed the back of his head, making his hair hot to the touch. When he could hear the birds outside chirping before the city became its usual busy self. When the clouds looked so fluffy you could lay on them without falling through. They were peaceful.

Of course the last time he had genuinely enjoyed one with someone else however, was before Manon had left him. Even now, the girl's memory plagued his every waking thought. Even in his dreams. God he wished she could leave him alone.

But.. being around Vincent seemed to help calm his nerves. Despite the feeling of attachment being similar in a concerning way, it helped. It helped take his mind off her. And it gave him time to realize how their relationship had changed. He wasn't just his boss, or at least that's what his behaviour said.
Friendship, was it?

'Vincent's friend.'

That had a nice ring to it.

"So.. are you gonna go home today? I wasn't exactly planing for you to stay the night, and I'm not sure you were either.."
Rody asked after a moment, his gaze turned up to meet Vincent's.

"Do you have any plans today?" Vince asked, feeling slight warmth pooling in his cheeks as he stared Rody in the eyes.
"..No, why?" Rody replied with a curious tilt of his head, raising an eyebrow.

"..Would you want to come to my place?"
"Why?"
Vincent looked at him with an empty stare as if it were obvious, before sighing.
"Well, I was thinking, since you played some songs on your guitar for me, why don't I play you a song on my cello, hm?"
Vincent shrugged, before closing his eyes, taking another sip of his coffee. He was really trying not to include the fact he didn't exactly like Rody's apartment.

"You play the cello?" Rody blurted out suddenly, raising his head from Vincent's shoulder, before he placed his hand back on Rody's head, forcing him to relax again.
"Yes, why is it such a surprise?" "Well- you're a professional chef!" "And you're a waiter."

"Why are we bringing me into this?" Rody asked, a confused tone to his voice.
"You're my waiter. And you play the guitar." Vincent closed his eyes as he observed, about to take a sip of coffee when Rody interrupted him. "It's a hobby." "And I cant have those because...?" "Never mind."

"So would you want to come over?" Vincent asked again, looking back down at Rody, who to his surprise had nuzzled his head back into his shoulder; making his heartbeat increasingly quicker.
"Sure, just- not now." He mumbled, placing the rim of his cup to his top lip, before Vincent spoke. "Why?" "Because this is nice." Rody smiled softly, looking at his drink before sipping it.

Against his better judgment, and perhaps also his will, Vincent had ended up draping his arm over Rody's shoulders,pulling him closer. It was a little intimate, if he was being honest, but... Rody didn't seem to mind. Instead he sort of.. leaned into the touch. Like he needed it.

Whether it was the fatigue, or the caffeine, Vincent couldn't tell. But Rody didn't mind, so that was what he could settle with.

A little while later, maybe an hour or so later,  The two of them decided to leave for Vincent's house. Rody had put on his shoes and was fixing his hair in the reflection of the powered off tv, when Vincent grabbed him by the back of his shirt, dragging him to the door.

"You look fine. Let's go." He said in an annoyed tone, rolling his eyes. Rody got up on his own two feet at the door, and they went out to Vincent's car.

The ground was still wet from the previous night's storm, but the sun was shining more than ever. When Vincent got in the drivers seat, he immediately covered his eyes, cursing.
"Oh what the fuck, it's so damn bright out!"
This made Rody laugh. A laugh that made Vincent sigh, and have to fight back the smile on his face, causing him pain in his cheeks, and he finally gave in, giving a smile that was completely out of character.

———★———

As Vincent pulled up to the bistro, Rody could barely contain his excitement. It wasn't hard to see that either, as he had a huge smile on his face and wasn't able to sit still for less than a few seconds straight.
He hadn't even realized that Vincent had gotten out of the car until he was at his door and had opened it for him with his hand already extended, offering it to Rody.

He took a moment before he accepted, clasping Vincent's hand in his own. However, due to Rody being more muscular than him and his lack of proper nourishment, Vincent stumbled forward, only saving his fall because he was holding onto the car.

Getting out, Rody couldn't help but chuckle at Vincent's disoriented form. He had to calm himself down enough to check if Vincent was okay afterwards, however.
"You alright there?" "Yeah, yeah I'm fine," Vincent replied, "Like I said, I'm not exactly strong."

The two of them went inside, and Rody's eyes darted to the back of the living room where Vincent's cello laid. It looked well kept, so Vincent either played it frequently, or made sure it looked nice for display.
Vincent extended his arm, pointing to the couch beside them, for Rody to sit down while he grabbed the instrument.

Rody got as comfortable as he could on the semi soft piece of furniture, and twiddled with his thumbs as he waited a little impatiently for Vincent's return. When he did come back, Rody only just realized how tall a cello was when it was to be played. Not only that, but as Vincent sat down, placing the instrument correctly between his legs, the bow hold really confused him. It was so.. complicated.

All that was shoved to the back of his mind as Vincent put the bow to the strings, looking at Rody from the corner of his eye.
Rody quickly paid attention, sitting politely as he waited for Vincent to start playing, which in turn caused him to roll his eyes.

"You don't have to act so formal. Relax a little." He mumbled, before he began sliding the bow across the strings, actually starting the song now. Rody found it rather impressive at the least. Being able to play a cello, that was. Having to memorize bow hold, finger positioning and instrument position just for it to sound right. He could only imagine how much his hands would ache after trying to play one. Not to mention his arm to.

———★———

Once Vincent had finished the song, and looked up to see Rody's reaction, all he saw was a man fixated more on Vincent than the actual song. He had his cheek resting on his hand, and he was looking at Vincent with half lidded eyes, and a slight soft smile, taking in every detail of the younger man sitting beside him. He had so much talent. More than Rody had initially known.

It flattered Vincent to the very core, the look Rody gave him, and all he was capable of doing in that moment was stare back. Him not noticing until a few seconds after, and blinking to snap himself out of his trance, only confirmed Vincent's theory. If Rody were more focused on the song rather than Vince, he would've done that a while ago.

"You're staring." Vincent murmured, not moving. Rody however, nearly jumped as his cheeks flushed red. "I- I was?" "Mmh." Vincent nodded, a smirk spreading on his face before he spoke again. "It's funny how embarrassed you get at that." With that he sat up straight, and got up to put his cello back in its proper place. Rodys eyes followed him, and that's when he remembered; Vincent had a record player.

"Hey, you got anything to play on that?" Rody asked, pointing to the record player across the room, to which Vincent sighed in reply, "Yes. Why would I have the record player if I didn't have a record to play?"
"Just wondering.." Rody muttered, before Vince asked him another question. "Why?"

"I don't know, I guess I just wanna hear something on it? I've never really had a record player.."
Vincent sighed, walking over to the shelf next to it, and rubbing his fingers over the records he owned. He grabbed a random one, looked at it for a moment and shrugged.

Vincent pulled out the record from its sleeve, and blew the dust off. He hadn't played this one in a while.
He put the record on the player and gently placed the needle on the grooves of the disk, letting it play.
It was a rather slow tempo, a song leaning to the more romantic genre of music.

Vincent sat down on the couch beside Rody, sighing in thought.
After a little while, he got up and offered his hand out to Rody. Seeing the confused look on his face, Vincent sighed again.
"Care for a dance?"

"What- you, me? Now?" Rody blurted out in shock, eyes slightly widening. All he got from Vincent was a nod.
"I- I can't dance.. don't know how." He admitted, placing his hand on the back of his neck in embarrassment.

To be fair, it was embarrassing. Having been with so many girls, none of them taught him how to dance, or they just left because he was pathetic in so many ways.

"Then I'll teach you."

"What?" Well that certainly tore him out of his train of thought. "I'll teach you." Vincent repeated, insisting Rody took his hand.

A second of hesitation later, Rody grabbed hold of Vincent's slimmer hand, letting him pull him up off the couch, and into the open area. 
"Place your other hand on my shoulder."

"Like this?" Rody asked, his hand leaving Vincent's, and resting on his right shoulder. "Yes. Now hold my hand." "What???" "Hold my hand." Vincent repeated, grabbing Rody's free hand with his, interlocking their fingers. "Like this."
Rody nodded, closing his fingers on their hands.

"Now. What you're gonna want to do is step forward when I step back. When I step to the left, or technically, your right, you step with me. You're going to want to keep your feet in sync with mine, or you'll topple over."
Rody nodded, and in a moment they started moving. Vincent kept track of when Rody was stepping, and at the same time, instructing him where to.

"Forward, right, left. right, right, left. back, left, right. Left, left right. forward, right.." so on so forth, and eventually he stopped, seeing that Rody had memorized the pattern.

Vincent kept adding things into it. Raising their arms, taking slightly larger steps, etcetera. At one point when they were trying to rotate, Rody's foot slipped. He nearly fell backwards, but then he felt Vincent's hand on the back of Rody's waist, keeping him from hitting the ground.
"Don't worry, you're not going to fall." He sighed, before giving Rody a sweet smile. "I've got you."

———★———

By the end of the hour, Rody had practically mastered it. Or at least, in this way.
They hadn't been dancing for to long, but it felt like time had just froze. Hand in hand, waltzing around Vincent's living room with no care in the world.

At the end of the song, Rody's hand slipped down to Vincent's waist without him even realizing. Before Vincent knew it, Rody had, quite literally, swept him off his feet. He had a hand on his waist and one supporting his thigh, leaving Vincent standing on one leg and bent backwards.

Just for extra precaution, he dropped his hands over Rody's shoulders, and around his neck.
Their faces were just about an inch away, if not less.

Vincent felt like he was going mad.
Rody was so damn attractive. His muscular build, to his messy auburn hair, pale greenish grey eyes, every mole and freckles on his body, his dumb smile, everything about the man was perfect. God damn it.
Vincent shouldn't think that, it's unprofessional. Especially when it's about another man.

But he did.

"Fffuck- I'm- I'm so sorry I don't know what came over me, I-" Rody sputtered out, his face turning red as he snapped back into focus, dragging Vincent out of his train of thought with him.

"It's alright..." Vincent mumbled as he finally regained his footing. His face was burning. "..I'm gonna go to the bathroom. I need a moment to think."
"Alright-!" Rody called out, watching Vincent walk out of the living room.

Was Vincent seriously in love with him?