Dilemma [Pumpkin Duo]

3: This is my dilemma

...

At the end of their dinner, the sky was becoming a darker shade of black, and lights from buildings were blinking on, as the evening drew to a close. Schlatt watched Quackity intently as they stood outside the restaurant, presumably about to go their separate ways.

"Tonight was nice, thank you, Quackity," Schlatt said, a smile on his face.

That smile on his face completely changed Quackity's mood. The blush that was starting to creep out of his face turned into a bright smile instantly. He was really surprised, he hadn't expected Schlatt to be thankful and sincere like this. "No, thank you. I had a lot of fun tonight, too. It was really nice spending time with you, Schlatt."

"Thanks," Schlatt replied, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

Quackity had already realized that their goodbye was coming and that was making him feel a bit uneasy. Had he won Schlatt over enough for the revived man to side with Las Nevadas? How close was he to making Schlatt swear allegiance? "Could I ask you something?"

"Yeah, sure," Schlatt replied all too quickly, and in the yellow glow from the streetlights, Quackity could see a slight pale green-grey tint on his complexion from being revived.

Quackity took a deep breath and looked him in the eye. "Do you mind if we keep meeting every now and then? I... I really like it when we spend time together, even though your teasing infuriates me. I felt very comfortable around you and... Would you like it, too? If we meet again?" He said, adjusting his hair under his beanie while he spoke.

"Well, yeah, I think I would," Schlatt replied, glancing down the streets of Quackity's city. "Say, d'you wanna get a drink with me? Somewhere else in the city? I'm sure you'd know the best places."

Quackity's smile grew again at this question. The night was still very young and this would mean he'd have time to get on Schlatt's good side. The undead man in front of him was so very politically powerful. "I would be thrilled to go to another bar with you; that'd be great. D'you have any preferences?"

"No, no, I don't mind," Schlatt replied.

After walking for a few blocks, Quackity led Schlatt to a very elegant-looking bar that had an entrance down some steps. "Come on," He said, very subtly taking Schlatt's hand and leading him inside, Schlatt being quiet and watchful.

They sat down by the bar, on two stools, and Quackity ordered drinks with a familiarity with the barman, just like he seemed to have with every worker in Las Nevadas. Schlatt watched the interaction, and Quackity passed him a bottle of beer, which he took with a smile of thanks. Quackity was quite a regular customer there. The barman had always been nice to him and he always came here when he wanted to take a break and rest from his routine.

Quackity drank a little bit of his beer and then looked at Schlatt expectantly, waiting to see what he would say. Quackity thought that maybe he would ask Schlatt some questions about the past, or maybe tell him stories as they did before. He wanted to know as much as he could about those who had passed his life, and he knew that his curiosity could be a bit intense. He needed to scope out Schlatt's opinion on working under Quackity, hypothetically of course.

"Nice," Schlatt said, meeting Quackity's gaze.

"That all?" Quackity replied, tilting his head. "I was expecting more of a reaction from you-"

"What, 'cause I used to be an alcoholic? I'm not letting you slide that one under my nose, Quackity," Schlatt replied sharply, staring at the bottle.

"Sorry, I-"

Schlatt's gaze snapped back onto Quackity. "Oh, shit, I said that aloud. Fuck," Schlatt cursed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring any of that up..."