Wait For Me

Chapter 13 - Taking a Gamble

CW: slight coercion to drink? Anthony wants to impress Alastor, so he consents to drinking alcohol he's never had before, and probably wouldn't drink otherwise. Also mentions of throwing up.

March 28, 1930

Anthony was stressed.

He knew what he would normally wear to a card game with his family, but what did one wear to impress a man for whom they've been pining?? Not that anything would come out of it, of course. He knew this. Of course, he did. But if the blonde maybe wanted to leave a lasting impression on the older man before he left - possibly forever - who could blame him? It wasn't like Al had to know Anthony was all dressed up to make an impression on him.

Which led him right back to his dilemma of what to wear. Normally he would get Molly's opinion, but not this time. She would be too nosy for her own good, and he would be found out, and he wasn't ready for that. No, asking Molly simply wasn't an option this time.

It wasn't that Anthony didn't have a lot of clothes to choose from, he did. But they were all so drab and boring. Mafia standard. He had replacement outfit upon replacement outfit because blood was a nightmare to work out of clothes. Sometimes, it was just easier to get rid of the entire ruined suit and start fresh. However, he had very limited colorful options to choose from. He wanted to look a bit on the manly side, simply because he wanted to look more mature since Alastor exuded an air of maturity about his person. But Al was also artsy and whimsical, and Anthony wanted to appeal to that side of him as well.

Finally, he settled on the same pantsuit he wore when they first met, because what was a better impression to leave than their first meeting and subsequent whirlwind friendship? Anthony thought it was a clever idea at least. Of course, he didn't want to look exactly the same as he did when they first met. He had to change things up just a touch. Suddenly feeling inspired, he dug into the back of his closet and pulled out the only pink shirt that he owned. Frankly, he couldn't remember where or when he had gotten it, that's how infrequently it was used. It's a good thing Pops ain't here. He'd beat my ass if he saw this in my possession.

Anthony had made sure to shine his black leather shoes the other night so they would be perfectly ready for this outing, and he pressed a red tie to wear. Alastor liked red, from what he could gather of the man's typical clothes. It might've clashed with his outfit just a little, but again, the man was as artsy as he was mature, so a little splash of color probably wouldn't hurt. He adjusted his cuffs, fixed his tie, and then ran a brush through his golden locks. Molly would have to cut his hair for him soon, but he honestly didn't mind it being semi longer. For now, though, he scooped a generous amount of gel onto four fingers and ran it through his hair, making sure to catch every flyaway that he could.

When his hair was tamed and swept back in a classy way, he stood up straight, adjusted his jacket, and gave himself a once over, biting his lip as he studied his appearance. Not a button undone, nor a piece of lint to be seen. No wrinkles, no stains. He was ready. He hoped...

In all honesty, he was a bit nervous. He had every faith in his ability to win their wager tonight. But there was that small what if that lingered in the back of his mind where other doubts and dark thoughts liked to hide. What if Al won somehow? What if Al asked him the one question the younger man was praying he wouldn't? What then? Then he'd have to lie, because he had no other options.

He stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom, and tried to hype himself up, but it didn't do much. Swallowing thickly, he checked his watch and exhaled a slightly shaky breath. He was getting to see Al. He was getting to spend more one-on-one time with him. That's all that mattered. He could cross the other scarier bridge if he got there.