Rhys cleared his throat, pushing aside the thickening tension between them. He swallowed thickly, his earlier bravery waning quickly. "So, your turn."

Lux blinked rapidly, giving a subtle shake of his head. "For?"

Rhys didn't want to be pushy, so he turned whatever was happening between them into a drinking game, believing they'd both be more comfortable if what they shared could be blamed on the alcohol.

Even though you were hella sober when you said it.

"Secret for secret," Rhys spoke a little louder than usual, intending to cover up his inner voice. "But, if you're uncomfortable with sharing, you can take a sho—," he didn't finish his sentence before Lux hopped off the counter, poured a shot of clear liquor and took the drink to the head, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Your turn."

Rhys stared at Lux, unblinking. After a few seconds, a large laugh rumbled in his chest, his hand flying up to cover his mouth. "Sorry, sorry. I just wasn't expecting that."

"Well. Your turn." Lux readied the shot just in case, avoiding Rhys' eyes.

Rhys felt that this was a ploy, an attempt for Lux to get out of saying anything he wasn't able to take back once the words met the air between them. But, he went along with it, sharing something that wasn't exactly a secret, but more so a testament to either his unhealthy work life balance or his fear of actually dating again. "I haven't been in a relationship since Lillia."

Lux spluttered on his swallow of beer, his cheeks brightening to a soft pink. Rhys didn't know whether or not to be offended, so he sat in silence until Lux was able to explain.

"I–I just find it hard to believe that you would, y'know, not be in a relationship since then." Lux looked as if someone had forced him to choke down his most hated meal.

Rhys pointed that out with no qualms.

"Why does it look like complimenting me is causing you physical distress?" Rhys expected Lux to ignore the question, but he was pleasantly surprised when he answered, presumably honestly.

"I-haven't been in a position to compliment another person in a long time."

Rhys' brows drew together, his eyes narrowing as he stared at Lux. "I don't understand."

Before he explained, Lux huffed a heavy sigh. He reached up to pull his hair free from the bun, scratching at his scalp in an attempt to soothe his nerves. "Not to make this weird, because it's not weird—it's a product of your foolishness— but I haven't gone on a date in over a year. I'm an author. I work from home. I haven't exactly been in situations in which I'd have the opportunity to compliment another person in over 365 days. So, it pains me just a bit."

Rhys heard everything Lux said, but he became stuck on one aspect. "You haven't been on a date in over a year?"

"This counts as my secret or I'm keeping it to myself."

Rhys didn't hesitate. He wanted to know more about Lux and he had this feeling that tonight was the only night he'd be able to get some, if not most, of the questions he had answered. "Deal."

Before he continued, Lux poured himself another shot, downing it in one gulp. He grimaced and Rhys couldn't tell if it was from the taste of the liquor or the words that were on his tongue. "I haven't been on a date in over a year. I agreed to it in the first place because Kerin set it up, thinking it would be good for me."

Rhys felt a jealous twinge. He pushed it to the side, forcing a note of lightheartedness into his tone as he asked, "How did it go?"

"Awful. I couldn't get out of there fast enough. Your turn."

This time, Rhys opted to take a shot, swallowing the drink, fighting off a grimace and shudder. "Pass."

Lux mirrored his actions, having his third shot in the past few minutes. "Your turn."

"I feel like you're trying to purposely get me drunk so either I stop asking you questions or I just start sharing random information. So!" Rhys exclaimed as he reached for the bottle, placing it between the both of them, shot glasses included. "New rule: We ask the question and then we decide on whether or not we'll answer. If we don't want to, we pass, aka taking a shot. Deal?"

Lux rolled his lips, humming softly as he contemplated the offer. "Deal. But! You already asked me a question so now it's my turn to ask you."

"I asked you a question, like, 15 minutes ago. That's cheat—," He was interrupted by Lux posing a question he should have known was coming, yet he was still thrown off.

"Why haven't you been with anyone since then?"

It wasn't really a complicated answer, but it felt like it was. Rhys hadn't been with anyone since he came out. He didn't feel comfortable dating when he was going through so many life changes. He wanted to find out who he was first, settle down in the new normal, and then possibly date. "But things just kind of stretched on and my new normal became not dating."

"So you haven't gone on a date this entire time you've lived here?"  Lux leaned forward, folding his forearms on the counter.

The way he was bent over—hips slightly swaying from side to side as he shifted on his feet— how his hair fell around his shoulders—the curls thick and soft—and the way his eyes were a bit overcast by the fog of liquor, all punched Rhys in his gut at once. His thoughts shifted to ones that made his stomach tighten, a familiar and enticing tension pulling his muscles taut from the inside out.

Lux is your client. Your only client. Don't fuck this opportunity up by thinking with your—

"Rhysend?"

Lux calling his full name startled him. The heat that was blooming in his stomach, rocketed into his face. His thoughts were so...vivid...he almost foolishly believed that Lux had been privy to them. Thank god he wasn't.

"Mm?"

Lux repeated his question. "You haven't been on a date the entire time you've lived here?"

"That's two questions back to back. If I answer this, you can't skip one question and I get to decide which one."

Lux waved his hand dismissively, urging Rhys to carry on. "Yeah, yeah, answer the question."

Rhys wanted to tease Lux by pointing out his eagerness, but he didn't. There was a reason he was so inquisitive and Rhys was going to get to the bottom of it, so help him!

One truthful answer, two passes between them, three attempts to carefully carry dripping candles into the living room, four beers later and the only thing Rhys had gotten to the bottom of, with Lux's help, was the bottle of gin.

"'Kay," Lux started, his words slower than before, "I'll answer this one only 'cause I want to."

Rhys was stretched out on the other side of the coffee table trying to remember the last time he ate or had water. He was too old to deal with the headache and nausea of a hangover. He'd be useless for the next 24 hours if he didn't hydrate and eat soon. Speaking sounded like too much energy, which meant he definitely wasn't getting up any time soon, and he grunted from the floor, encouraging Lux to continue.

Honestly, Rhys had forgotten what he asked.

"Kaido, Lucci, Doflamingo."

Rhys mumbled, loud enough for Lux to hear him from his position on the floor, "I can't think of a question I asked that would yield that response, but okay. Your turn."

"Mm I'm out of questions so you get a free pass."

The idea of taking another shot sounded awful.

"Without taking a shot."

"I accept your gracious offer."

Lux snorted, a sound that Rhys had grown to love over the past few hours they'd spent talking and drinking. "There's nothing gracious about it. You really just look like you're about three sheets to the wind."

"Highkey...I am." Rhys had a low tolerance for alcohol and didn't drink often enough to increase his limits. He was one shot away, maybe two, from crawling into the nearest corner and passing out. While he still had his faculties about him, he asked a question that had been on his mind for a while now.

"You've said you've never been in love before. Not even 'puppy love'. Does that mean you've never been in a relationship? I know people that are demi and—,"

"Pass!" Lux loudly interrupted.

The interruption coupled with the strain in his voice, pulled Rhys to a sitting position. He blinked over at Lux, noting the way his soft flush deepened to a shade of raspberry. "Usually, I'd let you pass 'cause you look wildly uncomfortable but," Rhys dropped his voice to a conspiratorial whisper, leaning in close as he continued, "what if I told you that you just answered my question by refusing to answer?"

Lux rolled his eyes, scoffing loudly. "How is wanting to pass answering your question? What if I'm passing out of respect for a partner? They could be famous, y'know."

"Are they?"

Lux reached for the alcohol and Rhys reached for his wrist, stopping him. This time, Lux didn't pull away. Through lowered lashes he looked at the hand that held his wrist, his swallow audible. Hundreds of images, each one more risqué than the last flooded  his mind. He wondered if Rhys would touch him this gently had the circumstances been different. "...No."

Rhys didn't release Lux's wrist. "I'm not sure which question you're answering, but I do want to let you know, this is the one question you can't pass."

"No, I've never—fuck," Lux inhaled a deep breath, pausing to scrub his free hand down his face and up into his hair. He avoided Rhys' stare in order to answer honestly. "I've never been in a relationship."