Chapter Text
Hector always saw beauty in things. As he awoke, he couldn't help but admire the way the sun poked in through his window. The way it shone on the only plant in his apartment. He wasn't a gardener by any means, but he did care for that plant possibly more than himself. Probably because he admired their differences. His plant gave air, gave a lovely splash of green to his space, and was even starting to bud with a flower of some kind (he didn't know what kind, it was being thrown away so he grabbed it, didn't ask questions). It was beautiful, while Hector was…Hector. He didn't make things beautiful, and he certainly didn't give air or sprout a budding flower. He got up, and approached the plant, humming softly as he sprayed it down with water.
"Hope you have a fruitful day, little one. I'll be home soon."
He walked into the kitchen, starting the coffee pot. He disliked coffee, it was bitter on the palate, but it kept him awake, and the smell was at least nice. He downed the coffee like it was a shot, and dug into his bag of snacks. He didn't love eating breakfast, but even something like a granola bar saved him the nausea of lack of eating. He downed that quickly as well, ignoring how stale he had let these go. Didn’t matter, ultimately. He put his mask over his face after grabbing his camera, and walked out the door. It was odd how ugly he felt amongst so many beautiful things; the tweeting of birds, clouds in the sky, even the playful yelling of two friends off in the distance.
He disliked people. Well, okay, dislike was a strong word. He just didn't find comfort in anyone's company. He thought about that as he walked downstairs, on his way to his local park. He was wondering why no one soothed him. Come to think of it, not even his parents made him comfortable. He was never hurt by them, he was never struck or yelled at, he was taken care of. But, he was never held in high regard in their eyes. No praise, even for his photography awards. Sure, they weren't huge rewards, merely covers on a local newspaper and little cash prizes. But they never gave him anything more than a 'nice' response. He supposed he just never felt…seen. People have seen him, sure, but they never saw his heart.
They just saw a man with ugly features. Unfortunate, but true. No matter, if he can't be beautiful, he can make other things beautiful. He finally made it to the park, and took a seat on a bench. He took a few pictures of birds bathing in their baths, unfortunate ice cream fallen on hot concrete, chalk leftover from a clearly creative child. These things were beautiful.Though, he was considering going back home for his other camera, these were-
"Oh! Hello!"
His thoughts were interrupted when a dog walked over to him, starting to lick his palm. He kept the camera away from him, but gave him head scratches that clearly delighted him. A beautiful dog, big body, chocolate fur. Not a stray, given its adorable yellow ascot around his neck.
"Oh you're a pretty thing, aren't you? Very handsome. Can you sit?"
And just like that, he obeyed. Hector chuckled, taking a couple of shots, before resuming petting him.
"Now, where did you come from? I'm sure whoever it is, they're worried sick-"
"Davi! Oh my god, Davi!"
Suddenly she ran in. Suddenly everything ran in. She was the most beautiful person he'd ever seen. The hair, their skin, their worried eyes. The dog, Davi, recognized her, turning to lick at their hands. She fussed over his face and ears, with hands he was terribly jealous of. One of which held a broken leash.
"Thank you so much for keeping him still, he snapped his leash when he saw a squirrel, oh god I was scared shitless. Davi, you would've worried your poor papi! And gotten hurt! And maybe made me look like a bad dog sitter but not the main point,"
She finally looked right at Hector. Her gaze could bring down kingdoms. Her gaze could stop a rampaging herd dead in its tracks. Then, she smiled. Oh, how she smiled. Smiled in a way that couldn't belong to anyone else in the world, in any universe.
"Thank you, so, so much. I hope he didn’t bug you!"
"Oh. N-no. He uh. He's a sweet boy. I took a few photos, if that isn't too much trouble."
Why did he make his voice deeper? Was he that scared? Was he just trying to woo her? This person he just met?
"Oh absolutely fine, he's a pretty boy. Can I see them?"
"I…yes."
She pulled out another leash, putting it on Davi, and just sat right next to him. She loomed over his shoulder as he scrolled, and good lord, her smell. She smelled lightly of sweat, smelled of the faint vanilla scent you'd find in paper, and ever so lightly of coffee. He wanted to pull her in, wanted to bury his face in her neck and take in a deep inhale, as if he just remembered how to breathe and-
"Oh is it that one?"
He shook himself out of his perverted thoughts, and nodded. He scrolled a bit for her upon her insistence, and not once did she seem uninterested.
"Yes. He's quite the little model."
"God, he is. Wild, he usually doesn't sit still. You have any dogs?"
Hector scratched Davi's head upon interjecting between them, shaking his head.
"No, just a houseplant."
"Could've fooled me, you seem like a real dog person. Gonna take my side gig from me."
"Side gig?"
"Oh yeah, I dog sit when I'm not working at the office. You do photography for work?"
"I do. The award money keeps me comfortable enough, but-"
"You've won awards?!"
She sounded so…excited. It was as if he announced he voiced her favorite character in a video game. He nodded.
"Yes, a few. But I'm sure it'd bore you. It'd probably take up so much of your time as well, and it's such a lovely day-"
She got comfy in the seat, folded one (lovely) leg over the over, and rested her chin on her propped up arms. Her smile. The smile that was clearly for him, it made him weak, made him forget everything else.
"Tell me. If you're comfy with me."
He wasn't. Yet, he was. He wanted her away from him, yet the thought of her leaving made him crack inside, like his heart was made of glass. He elaborated about his awards, keeping the voice he had suddenly found. He used it for things like phone calls to important people and the like, but not once had he used it for an actual person. A person he suddenly felt like impressing very, very much. She listened. Didn't 'listen' like a stranger on a subway, but listened with intent, with purpose. He finished his accomplishments more quickly than he'd like to, but getting to stop talking sooner did hold some comfort.
"Sorry. I know that's not a lot."
"What? No! Better than me anyway. I just do numbers and walk dogs. You should be proud! I am, and I haven't gotten your name! Er, can you be proud of strangers?"
"No, not especially. So, allow me to remedy this. I'm Hector Valentino Airnesto Conditionado. At your service."
"You mind if I just call you Hector, or are you a whole name kinda guy?"
Oh, his name, even a part of it, sounded just so lovely, like music in the wind.
"Hector is just fine. Yours, if I maybe so delighted to receive it?"
She chuckled at his words, and he felt pride in knowing he caused just that little smile.
"I mean, you saved Davi, my job, my whole bacon really. Call me whatever you want at this point, kinda owe you!"
Oh, what a flurry of feelings. Nerves and delight of her name, nervousness of already being on a nickname basis. He was a thinker, might say too much, but for once, his mouth spoke before he could filter it.
"Puppy."
He realized what the hell he just said. She looked at him. He looked at her. Oh no. Oh no, he took this beautiful embers of something that could've been bigger, something true and lovely, and just stomped on it, like an idiot and-
"Pffffft,"
She laughed. It was a laugh that made her curl up, enough to worry Davi, given his sniffing, before looking at him, practically tearing up.
"You are bold! Alright, alright, fuck it. I'm puppy now, I guess. You're lucky."
"I…I am. I very much am."
Her laugh. Oh her laugh. He'd think about this laugh later, in his bouts of late night loneliness. She checked her watch, and stood up, clicking her tongue at Davi.
"I gotta get this guy home before work. You show up here at the park often?"
"Yes, by sunrise, usually."
"Well hey, I'll be seeing you, Hector!"
"Goodbye!"
"Goodbye…?"
Her sentence trailed off as she started to walk away, but slowly, as if waiting for something. His cheeks flushed something fierce under his mask upon realization. He cleared his throat.
"Goobye…p-puppy."
"Aye, there we go!"
She walked away. He watched. Then, all of a sudden he was moving. Moving before he could stop himself or realize what he was doing. He stayed behind trees, used people in crowds to help hide himself, before she stopped by a stop sign, and he was hidden amongst bushes. He shouldn't do this. This was creepy. He'd never done this before, never even had the thought or the urge. But seeing her look down at the dog, and smile. His camera was in his hands in just a second, and he had already taken a picture. And another and another, only stopping once she started to walk off again.
"S…stop. Stop it."
He ordered his feet not to move, and he was thankful that they listened. He watched her walk away, seeming to snap out of whatever trance he was in the second he lost sight of her. He made sure no one was around, before he popped out of the bushes, and looked around. He wandered more than he thought he had, and had he not lived here for years, he would've certainly been lost. He made it back home eventually, and upon making it to his door, he almost slammed it shut in his hurry, and started to throw his stuff everywhere. Usually he liked things a certain way, but his camera was his only concern right now. He took a seat in his work room, and fumbled through the photos in his hand. There she was. With him, tangible in his own hands. The sun hit her hair just right, her smile was perfectly soft.
He reached into his dresser for his notebook, and after placing the picture just a bit above the paper, he started to write.
'I'm sorry' was a hell of a start. He just felt so guilty, someone like him loving someone so perfect, someone whose looks alone could drag someone out of despair.
'I'm sorry you had to see me today. I know I must've been a plight on an otherwise lovely day. I know I'm awful, the way I let my eyes linger, the way I hold your laugh captive in my heart. I'm awful, for when I saw you, I wanted to just pull you into me, and-'
He stopped right there, burying his face into his hands in shame. God, help him, why did such a sweet person have to capture the heart of someone like him? Someone who just played with a camera all day! He put the notebook down, and just stared at the photo. He remembered her smell. Her teasing. Against what his mind was screaming, he leaned down, and kissed the photo. Er, his mask did, he just realized he didn't take it off yet.
"Maybe it's…for the best."
He wanted to toss it, but that'd be like throwing away pure art. So, despite the fact that he knew it'd be bad for him, he taped it onto his wall, right by his bed. That wall had been looking a little barren lately, and what a lovely addition she made. He sat there, looking at it, fingers gently running against the smoothness of the photo. It was unfair, really. Surrounding himself with beautiful things while he was just…him. He sighed, throwing a pillow over his face. Maybe he'd never meet her again. As much as it'd hurt, it'd be better for her. She could do better, she could do more.
----------------------------------
"Davi be honest, did I make that interaction weird?"
Davi cocked his head up at her when they reached the door to his home. She sighed, and rang the doorbell. A voice came in from inside.
"One minute please! Finishing up Stitch's bath!"
She didn't mind. She hadn't been here for very long, about a month at best, but Mateo was a sweet guy from what little time they've known each other. She looked down at Davi, patiently and politely sitting.
"I'm just saying like. Did I get up in his space? I feel like I kinda intruded? And god, the puppy thing, was that weird? I was playing it off as a joke but now I think he thinks he has to call me that? Ugh, am I overthinking it actually? I mean he was kinda cute in a standoffish way-"
"Who was cute?"
Mateo finally opened the door with a grin, and she scoffed as she handed him the leash.
"Shut. No one."
"Uh huh. You could've just lied and said it was another dog, you know. Hi Davi!"
Mateo gave Davi's butt a good, hard smack after giving her a knowing look. A concerning amount of force for any other breed, but Davi loved it, enough for his tail to wag like it was gonna come off. Mateo glanced at her as he let Davi inside the house.
"Thanks for walking him, Stich got himself so dirty, didn't have time to take Davi out at his usual time. Was he a good boy?"
"As rambunctious as ever, and lookin' cute while doing it. 10/10 would walk again."
"Ah, that's good to hear. You cool if I pay you cash today?"
"Fine by me. Doing this again on Thursday?"
Mateo counted the money, and counted it again, handing it to her.
"Definitely. Have a good one!"
Mateo and her weren't exactly friends. They chatted here and there, but it was hard to make friends with someone who was always about his animals and basically nothing else. He shut the door after, and she sighed. Maybe someday they'd hangout, he could show her around, but today wasn't that day. She walked straight to work after that, pushing buttons and fiddling with numbers well into nighttime. She walked back home, pulling up any food places on her phone, for some kind of snack. Places were usually open, but apparently on Sundays they closed before the sun set. It sucked, but oh well. She climbed up the stairs back home, but stopped suddenly upon a door opening. If someone opened their door, it basically blocked the hallway, so it made for some…awkward pauses with her neighbors. This was new though, because she recognized this one.
Hector.
He was holding onto a bag of trash as he stepped out, clearly aiming to do some late night cleaning. He froze though, eyes focused and surprised upon seeing her.
"Oh. It's you."
"Yeah it's you too. Sorry, I didn't know you lived here too!"
"Too?"
She nodded, pointing behind him and down the hallway.
"Yeah, my room is right next to you! How funny is that?"
"...that is funny."
If it was funny, he sure as hell didn't sound amused. He sounded so…focused. As if this was very important information. She studied him while he was distracted, seeing his eyes were a steely brown color, and his hair was a mess, but in a way that made him look approachable. Then she noticed both his hands and the trashbag was covered in red splotches. She clutched onto her bag a little tighter.
"So uh. What's uh. Whatcha throwin' away?"
Ah yes, ask the serial killer looking guy, who just found out where you lived, what's in the bag full of possibly blood. So smart. He snapped out of his trance, and seemed to know immediately what she was thinking.
"Oh! N-no, It's paint! Here, look,"
He opened the bag, and inside, were many bits of paint and small canvases, covered in failed paint attempts. He gave a soft chuckle, clearly meant to soothe her worries.
"It's from my latest project. I was getting frustrated, thought taking them out and getting some air would help me."
"Oh, I didn't know you painted, how nice! Sorry, do you wanna step out first, or?"
"Oh right, these pesky hallways, let me shut this so you can go ahead."
He was about to step inside his own house, when suddenly she found herself speaking.
"Oh uh, can I ask you something, actually?"
He stopped shutting the door halfway, interest flickering in his eyes. He opened the door a bit more to show she had his attention.
"Absolutely, what is it? How can I help you?"
He sounded so genuinely curious, as if the situation were dire. It was…kinda sweet.
"I was just wondering what coffee places do you like? I'm new here, and don't really know my way around. Hell, I tried getting something tonight, didn't know places closed and-"
"Are you hungry?"
He sounded so concerned, as if she was suddenly skin and bone right before him.
"I mean I did kinda want a snack, but I mean, I'm not dying."
"...could you wait right here for just a moment?"
"Uh, sure?"
He shut the door, coincidentally leaving his bag of trash on the floor. She stood there for a moment, a little unsure of what was happening. Should she wait? Was this guy weird? Was SHE being weird? She considered just going on ahead now that she had space, and make an excuse that she had an emergency in case they met again, when the door suddenly opened. Hector was right there, a hot cup of coffee in one hand, and a little grocery bag in the other.
"I apologize for the wait. Here. If I'd known you were coming, I would've prepared something proper, but this is what I can offer you."
She accepted the items, briefly touching his hand in order to do so. His hand was warm, as if he had been warming them over a fire previously.
"I…aw? Thank you. This is too much."
"No no, I insist. And uhm, I didn't answer your question earlier. There is a café I can recommend. If you'd…if you'd like, I can…"
His voice sounded…different for a minute. A brief minute, to where she thought he sounded like an entirely different person, before he steeled himself.
"I can take you there. If you'd like."
"Aw, is this a date?"
"Would you like it to be?"
The response was quick. She was joking more than anything, but his response was curt, like he was fulfilling an order. She hesitated, kind of taking notice of how tall he was, how, when he stood like that, he looked so much…bigger. Before, he looked like a kind of meek man. Now? He seemed to take up so much space. So much presence. It should scare her. But yet it was comfortable in a way she couldn't explain.
"I…I mean-"
"Oh. Oh I'm sorry,"
He reached into his pocket and grabbed a cloth, previously stained with paint, though it had been recently washed. It was definitely a well used item.
"I got paint on your hand handing you your coffee. I'm terribly sorry."
She looked at the hand with her bag, and there it was, a little splotch of red. So tiny, she was surprised he noticed it.
"Oh. It's fine, really, but thank you,"
She took the rag, and offered him a smile.
"I'll give it back to you over coffee tomorrow? When's a good time for you?"
"Whenever. I am absolutely free tomorrow. You need only knock."
"Noted. Thanks again, Hector. You've been a sweetie. Have a good one."
"I hope you too, have a very pleasant rest."
He shut the door to let her pass, and she went to her room. She locked the door behind her, and set the stuff down on her kitchen table, noticing Hector taking the bag as she looked through the window. He caught her looking, and she waved. He paused, caught like a deer in headlights for a second, but he waved back, briefly and nervously before quickly running away. She closed the blinds after, and looked into the bag. It was full of candy bars, little bags of chips, little goodies like that. She sat down, sipped the coffee, and tucked into one of the snacks. Something sweet, chocolatey. It was a simple snack, but it was the sweetest thing she'd had since she moved here. Something sweet, from a neighbor who was so much like it.