When Adam heard that his little brother had dropped by with a date, he'd expected the usual pretty girl with a chest big enough to make Evan think he was in love. He wasn't even going to bother meeting his brother's new girlfriend, because he'd met enough of them to know what his brother's type was, and his brother's type wasn't very appealing to him. After what his waiter had said, though, he thought he might at least greet the couple. Just to satisfy his own curiosity.

Adam had thought he was ready for just about anything his brother could throw at him. His current date, however, was completely unexpected.

"This is Sascha," his little brother introduced cheerfully. "Sascha, this is my older brother, Adam," and Sascha extended a hand for Adam to shake, which he did after he'd gotten over his initial surprise.

"It's very nice to meet you," said Sascha. "You have a beautiful restaurant," and the words sounded so sincere that Adam was actually flattered.

"Thank you, it's nice to meet you as well. I'm glad to hear you're enjoying yourself," and Adam may have meant it more than he usually did when he spoke to his brother's dates, because at least Sascha seemed like a decent person.

She was, as his waiter had said, very pretty, but not in the usual way that caught his brother's eye. Sascha had a more genuine look, with soft features and a sense of style that didn't scream for attention. Compared to all the women that had walked into the restaurant, hanging from his brother's arm, Sascha had to be the most normal looking; like someone that Adam could walk past in the street without a second glance. In other words, he had no idea why his brother was with her.

Sascha was also mildly surprised at Evan's brother, because he didn't seem to be too much like the younger man. They definitely looked alike, both with blond hair, though Adam kept it short; most likely due to his job. Their eyes were the same warm hazel tone - Adam's being hidden behind a pair of glasses - and their features were very similar, but Adam definitely looked the part of the responsible older brother. That wasn't to say that he looked to be too serious, he just lacked the usual playfulness that Evan had. Still, he seemed to be a very nice person.

Evan, on the other hand, could hardly contain his amusement. It wasn't very hard to tell that his brother had only showed up out of curiosity, because Evan was very aware of how unlike his usual dates Sascha was. Of course, his brother would want to see why he had a sudden change of heart when it came to what he looked for in a date. He could see the way Adam was inspecting Sascha, trying to find a reason for Evan to be interested in him. And that was another source of amusement for Evan. He was just waiting for the moment his brother would figure out Sascha was a man.

"So, brother dear, what will you be feeding us?" he asked, smirking at his older brother.

"That'll be a surprise," Adam responded, eyebrow quirked because he could tell his brother was up to something just by his tone and the way he was smirking. He narrowed his eyes in suspicion and turned to Sascha.

"Excuse us for a moment, but I'd like to have a word with Evan," he said, and Sascha just nodded, looking a bit puzzled. Evan didn't protest, instead just standing with a grin.

"I'll be back in a minute," he told his date, before following his brother to the kitchen. It was the place where they usually talked, since Adam considered it his main territory. Evan always teased him about it, but at least it was private enough since the other cooks were too busy to pay attention to them.

"Alright, what are you up to?" Adam questioned his brother, not wasting any time.

"What do you mean?" Evan answered, in a tone that was much too innocent to be real.

"Alright, I'll be blunt," not that he wasn't always. "Your date isn't really what I was expecting from you, so enlighten me on your sudden change in taste," he said, but his brother just laughed.

"I thought you liked Sascha," Evan said, and he could tell his brother really did.

"I do, that's what worries me," his brother responded with a blank look.

"You know, that's really insulting." The indignation in his voice wasn't quite strong enough to be convincing.

"Sure it is, but seriously, what's going on?" Adam asked, and since it didn't look like his brother was ever going to notice, Evan decided to just tell him.

"What can I say, he's just special." And then he waited.

He had to wait for a while, but he didn't mind because it was amusing enough to just watch his brother work out what he'd just said. First, his brow furrowed and he gave Evan an odd look.

"You said 'he'," Adam pointed out.

"Yep."

Evan watched his brother struggle with the concept, probably trying to figure out if he'd misheard and then working to process his little brother's words. Finally, he peered back out into the dining room at Sascha, who was still waiting for them patiently, before looking back at Evan.

"Seriously?" he asked, disbelief clear in his voice.

"Yes, seriously," Evan said, grinning. He tried not to laugh when his brother looked back at Sascha again, probably trying to see if his brother was just messing with him.

"I need new glasses," Adam said after a moment, and Evan snickered.

"Don't bother, you're not the first to have trouble figuring it out," Evan admitted. It was probably harder now that Sascha's hair was a bit longer -- something that was probably due to the florist spending most of his time working. Still, Adam seemed to be taking the news rather well.

"So what, you're gay?" he didn't sound as surprised as he was curious. Evan would have to remember to find out why no one was as surprised as he thought they'd be to hear that.

Honestly, Evan hadn't really thought about that as of late. Not after the initial panic once he'd figured out he was attracted to Sascha. He'd just gone with his feelings and decided that he liked Sascha and whatever labels applied to him could wait. After all, he figured it would take him a while to figure out that bit. He definitely wasn't ready to discuss his sexuality in detail with his brother, granted, he would probably never be ready for that.

"Not exactly," he told his brother, deciding it was the easiest answer at the moment. "But your barmaid still looks hot, and I'm pretty sure I can still appreciate a nice pair of boobs," Evan added with a  shrug, mostly to annoy his brother. It did the trick, causing his brother to roll his eyes.

"Alright, definitely not just gay then," Adam deadpanned. "Still doesn't make this any less weird, but at least he seems nice," he sighed.

"He is, he's a bit shy sometimes, and you have no idea how freaking hard it was to get him to agree to come here, but he's a nice guy," Evan said truthfully. "But if you want to know more about him you'll have to talk to him," he finished with a grin.

Adam usually would have said no, probably with the excuse of being busy, but he really was too curious for his own good. In the end, he agreed, and followed his brother back into the dining room. Sascha smiled at them as they returned, both brothers taking a seat at the table.

"Sorry about that, we were just doing some catching up," Evan said.

"Oh, that's okay," Sascha said, because they weren't really gone for long, and they seemed like they were busy enough that they didn't talk very often.

"So, how'd you two meet?" Adam asked, never one to waste time. Not to mention that he was really curious as to how his brother had ended up dating a man.

"Well, Evan just showed up at my shop one morning, and then he kept going back," Sascha said simply.

"What kind of shop do you have?"

"Sascha has a flower shop close to where I work," Evan answered his brother, and Adam gave him a questioning look.

"Why were you even buying flowers?" he asked, already suspecting what the answer could be.

"Because I'm a nice person who likes to give his co-workers something to brighten their day," and if Sascha noticed Evan narrowing his eyes in warning at his brother, he didn't say anything. Adam didn't look convinced, but he let it go.

"Of course," he said, trying to not let too much sarcasm leak into his tone.

"So how long have you been da--" and Adam couldn't finish his sentence because someone decided to stomp on his foot and he had to try very hard not to cry out in pain and punch his brother for fear of upsetting his customers. Evan didn't really care. He was not letting his brother say something that would end up making Sascha uncomfortable. Even if it was a date.

"You know, I'm starving, and I'm sure Sascha's hungry as well. Why don't you show him how good your food is?" Evan said, glaring at his brother, and Adam glared right back.

"Of course, how thoughtless of me. I'll have your food right out," he ground out, foot still aching.

"Please enjoy your evening," he said to Sascha, who just nodded, a bit confused, and watched the older man leave.

"So, what do you think of my brother?" Evan asked once Adam was gone.

"Oh, he's very nice," Sascha said, not sure how else to answer. Adam had been giving him odd looks, but he'd been very polite.

"I told you he was a good guy. He likes you, you know?" Evan commented, his smile widening a bit when he saw Sascha blush. He could tell the other was pleased though, because there was a small smile on his face.

Their food arrived not long after, and true to Evan's word, his brother could cook. The evening, in general, was going pretty well, better than Evan had hoped, actually. Evan had even convinced the florist to try some of the wine his brother had sent out for them (and Evan would thank him for the help later). Sascha had done his best to resist, but Evan had gotten his way in the end. Sascha had tried not to drink too much though, because he had never been particularly good at holding any amount of liquor. He had to admit though, it was really good wine.

It was probably all due to Evan being on his best behavior. He wasn't stupid, he knew that it was his chance to show Sascha he wasn't a bad guy, and he wasn't going to waste it. So he made sure the florist felt comfortable and had fun, staying on safe topics of conversation. They talked about the food, Evan's brother, the flower shop, Evan's work and for a brief moment, Jason and the boy's attachment to Sascha.

Yes, things were going rather well. And then Evan's brother called him back into the kitchen. He would have told him to stop bothering him while he was on his not-date, but Adam had been fairly nice, so he supposed he owed him as much. Even so, he would definitely get back at him for kicking him in the shins as soon as he entered the kitchen.

"What the hell, you psycho?" Evan said as he rubbed the sore spot on his leg.

"Just getting even for you flattening my foot earlier," Adam shot back, absolutely no remorse in his voice.

"Well, now that you feel better, I'll be going back," Evan said with a glare. His brother, however, had something else to say.

"Hold it, that's not why I called you here," he said, grabbing his little brother's shoulder to stop him from leaving. "There's something I want to talk to you about."

"Now?" Evan said, and he was not whining. He wasn't.

"It'll be quick," Adam responded with a roll of his eyes. "I was just wondering what the deal is with this sudden change in your preferences."

And there it was, Evan thought. He had wondered when Adam would really comment on him dating a man. Of course, his brother hadn't said much at first; he was still thinking things over. Apparently, he'd had enough time to think.

"I just like Sascha, why?" Evan looked at his brother carefully, watching for any sign that he didn't approve. Not that he did, of course. His brother had a better poker face than anyone else. "If you have a problem-"

"I don't" Adam said before his brother could finish. "Evan, I'm your brother. I don't give a damn who you date as long as you don't whine to me when they dump you." Evan could just feel the brotherly love.

"It's just odd given the past . . . ladies you've dated," Adam said, having to think of a proper term for his brother's ex-girlfriends. "If you're just doing this for kicks, or out of curiosity, you should probably stop. He seems like a nice guy and-"

"Why does everyone say that?" Evan interrupted his brother, exasperated. Granted, the only other person to tell him that had been Drew. "That's not why. He's not some kind of experiment, I actually happen to like him. Is that so hard to believe?"

"Well, yeah," Adam said simply, getting a glare from Evan. "Hey, don't look at me like it's my fault. Maybe if you didn't make it a habit to switch girlfriends more often than you change clothes I would actually believe you when you said you were serious."

Evan just barely refrained from hitting his brother with the nearest cooking utensil - which happened to be a sturdy looking spatula. "I hope you realize this was a useless conversation and you give useless advice as a brother."

"Good, that means you won't bother asking me for some in the future," Adam said with a cheery tone. Evan was just all too happy to get away from his brother.

Thankfully, Sascha was still waiting for him with the usual smile. He sat down, made up an excuse about why Adam had called him to the kitchen and effortlessly picked the conversation back up. Jason, he thought, they'd been talking about the boy.

"I swear I've never seen him being so nice to anyone but his own family," Evan was saying just a few minutes later, sounding impressed. Sascha just laughed, in a much better mood than he had been at the start of the evening.

"I'm sure he's not that bad," he said, because Jason really had been nice to him for the whole time he had worked for him. "He's a really sweet boy, just a bit rough, but he's a teenager so maybe that's why," Sascha said with a shrug.

"So he never picks on you or anything?" Evan asked, thinking it was odd. After all, Jason picked on everyone. He wasn't at all surprised when Sascha's cheeks turned pink and he looked away after setting down his drink.

"Well, I guess sometimes," he admitted. "It's just, he thinks my name's a bit too feminine," Sascha said.

That didn't come as a surprise to Evan, because Jason had commented on that repeatedly in front of him. He just hadn't known he'd mentioned it to Sascha as well.

"Don't listen to him, he just likes to mess with people," Evan told Sascha, making a note to talk to Jason about it, but Sascha shook his head.

"No, he's right, I still don't know what my mother was thinking," Sascha said, cheeks still tinged with color. "I've been thinking of using my middle name," he told Evan.

"Really? What's your middle name?" Evan couldn't help but ask.

"James," Sascha answered shortly, taking another sip of his wine.

Evan frowned a bit at the thought of Sascha changing his name. It wasn't that James was a bad name, he just didn't think it was right for the florist.

"I think Sascha suits you better," he said honestly his hand brushing Sascha's as it lay on the table. And then Sacha giggled.

Which was weird enough to make Evan look carefully at the florist because Sascha never giggled. He laughed, chuckled and once or twice he'd actually snorted -- something Evan found pretty funny -- but he never outright giggled.

"You're sweet," said the florist, patting Evan's hand. And Evan finally noticed that Sascha's cheeks were still pink and he didn't think it was because he was feeling shy. He eyed the florist's nearly empty wine glass, a sinking feeling starting to emerge.

"Sascha, how much wine have you had?" he asked, fearing the answer.

"Just a bit," said the florist casually, holding his thumb and index finger less than half an inch apart.

"Okay, how many glasses?" Evan tried again and Sascha took on a thoughtful look.

"Hmm, well, I had one," he said, and Evan started to calm down because one wasn't too bad. It just meant Sascha was terrible at holding his liquor, but he would be fine.

"And then I had another when you went to the restroom," Sascha went on, and Evan felt himself start to worry again, because he remembered Sascha telling him he didn't drink. "And then that nice waiter refilled my glass before you came back," the florist finished with a smile.

Evan tried very hard not to panic, because three glasses were probably more than enough for Sascha to cross the 'tipsy' line into 'drunk' territory. Even he would feel something after that, and he had plenty of practice after all his visits to the bar with Drew.

"Okay, time to go home," he said, standing and helping Sascha out of his seat and into his jacket, after asking a passing waiter for the check.

"Why?" he said, dragging out the word. "It's so early," Sascha complained, as he was lead out of the restaurant and back to Evan's car.

"You have work tomorrow, remember?" Evan pointed out, helping the florist into the car and making sure his seatbelt was buckled.

"I'll take the day off," Sascha said with a grin, and Evan hurried into the car and headed straight to Sascha's place.

"You still need to rest," Evan insisted, ignoring Sascha's pouting face. The florist sighed and let his head hit the window with a dull 'thud'.

"Don't want to rest," Sascha muttered, but not five minutes later he had dozed off, much to Evan's relief. Unfortunately, that didn't really do anything, because Sascha was just as drunk when the car stopped and Evan helped him out of the car. If anything, Sascha looked worse, maybe because the wine was finally hitting him hard (and if Evan really thought about it, Sascha had drank plenty in a very short amount of time).

He was leaning heavily on Evan by the time they were inside and climbing the stairs wasn't easy at all. Evan was very glad when they finally reached Sascha's apartment, because the other man was clinging to him, his arms wrapped around Evan. It was very hard to concentrate on staying upright.

"Okay Sascha, where are your keys?" he asked, hoping to get an answer.

"In m' pocket," Sascha answered, voice slurred. With a sigh, Evan reached into the florist's jacket, feeling for the keys, while Sascha laughed.

"M' pants pocket," Sascha said, and Evan nearly groaned. Hesitantly, he reached into Sascha's pocket, trying not to think about where exactly his hand was, even as his other hand was keeping a tight hold of the florist's waist to keep him from falling over. Relieved, he pulled out the keys and quickly opened the door, nudging it closed with his foot after entering.

"Alright Sascha, time for you to sleep," he said, leading the man to what he guessed was his bedroom. He was relieved when he turned out to be right, and helped Sascha out of his jacket. It was a bit of a challenge, but he managed to get it off even with Sascha giggling and leaning on him.

"Don' wanna sleep," he said, his arms wrapping around Evan's neck. "You're handsome," he told the man, cheeks flushed and eyes half lidded and Evan gulped and moved his hands to Sascha's shoulders.

"And you're very pretty, but it's time for you to get to bed," he said.

"Mhmm, let's," and Evan did his best not to have a panic attack when Sascha leaned closer and planted his lips right over his. His brain stopped working for a moment and his hands were gripping Sascha's shoulders tightly, even as he struggled with what to do, because Sascha was kissing him and it felt damn good.

But he knew it was wrong, it was just a matter of getting his brain and his body to work together because his hands were evil little bastards with minds of their own. At the moment they were back to resting on Sascha's waist and his lips were moving against the florist's. He could feel the florist's hands on his neck, running through his hair and Sascha's warm body pressing against his own.

"Sascha, stop," he managed to say once his higher brain functions had kicked in. But Sascha wasn't listening because he just pulled him back down for another kiss and things were getting very bad for Evan. Somehow, Sascha had worked his jacket off and Evan's coat fell to the floor with a dull sound.

'Holy mother of God!' was all Evan could think as Sascha's hand was working to unbutton his shirt. Now, Evan was in full panic mode because it felt too good, but he knew he had to stop. So he pushed Sascha off, as gently as he could, and kept his hands firmly on his shoulders.

"Okay, time to stop," he managed to gasp out, and he could feel his face burning. Sascha didn't seem too happy about it though, because he frowned, hands still grasping Evan's shirt.

"Why?" he drawled out, brow furrowed and the tips of his mouth turned downwards.

"Because we shouldn't be doing this and you need to sleep," Evan said, trying to get his heart to calm down.

"But I like you," Sascha complained, pulling Evan closer. "It's 'cause I'm mean to you," he said, still looking upset.

"What?" Evan really didn't know what else to say to that, maybe it was because his brain still wasn't working too well and his blood was still slowly returning to his head.

"I'm mean, an' you think I don' like you," Sascha continued, and Evan looked at him curiously. He realized that Sascha was talking about the way he kept rejecting Evan.

"Do you like me then?" he asked, hoping he'd get an answer from the man. Sure enough, Sascha nodded.

"Uh huh," he said, trying to pull Evan closer. "Lots," Sascha muttered, finally succeeding in getting his arms back around Evan's neck, where they continued to play with the man's hair. Evan did his best to ignore the feeling of Sascha's hands on his neck as he looked down at the man's face.

"Then why are you mean to me?" he asked, taking advantage of Sascha's temporary honesty.

"'Cause I don' date straight men," Sascha said with as serious a tone and expression as he could manage under his current state. "They're the wors'," he muttered, and Evan knew he was saying that because of what had happened to him with Steven. It still bothered Evan, to think of Sascha comparing him to Steven, but it wasn't the time to discuss that with him.

"They always end up choosing a woman," Sascha continued, and Evan was horrified to see his eyes watering. "An' it hurts," the sight of tears terrified Evan, he'd never been good with crying people. It was probably worse to see Sascha cry because he actually cared about him.

So he let the florist lean on him, his arms wrapping around Sascha's slender frame and rubbing his back as the florist cried. He could feel his shirt getting wet, but he didn't really care all that much. Evan just wished Sascha would stop crying -- he also wished he hadn't let Sascha touch the wine, but it was a little late for that.

"You know I don't want to hurt you, Sascha," Evan said, still holding the man. He felt him nod and heard him sniffle a bit.

"But 'm scared," Sascha slurred, voice muffled. Evan sighed and patted his back, moving closer to the bed and doing his best to get Sascha to settle onto it because he really needed to get him to sleep. He already felt sorry for what the man would go through the next morning, Sascha would need the rest. Unfortunately, Sascha refused to let him go, clinging onto Evan even after he was laying on the bed.

"Sascha, let go, you need to sleep," Evan said, trying to pull Sascha's hands off.

"No," Sascha whined, dragging out the word and pulling Evan closer. "Stay," he muttered, and his lips were moving against Evan's as he spoke.

Evan nearly groaned when he was pulled into another kiss, because Sascha's lips were soft and sweet and warm against his and it was very hard to resist him. His hand settled on Sascha's waist and he could feel his smooth skin as the florist's shirt rose a bit. It was hard enough for Evan to keep from running his hand over Sascha's body and he was fighting to get off of him. Somehow, he managed to pull away, gasping for breath, his body hot and the feeling of Sascha's hands and lips all too clear. He was painfully aware of how tight his pants were and the sight of Sascha laying under him, face flushed and arms reaching for him, wasn't helping.

He sighed and sat back on the edge of the bed, running his hand over his face. Evan felt Sascha moving behind him and tried not to move when he felt the other's arms around him, his chin resting atop Evan's shoulder. As much as Evan wanted to be with Sascha, he didn't want it to happen because Sascha was drunk. Evan was aware that it wasn't the Sascha he knew holding him, the sweet florist he'd fallen for would never be so forward.

"Love you," Sascha muttered, lips brushing Evan's neck, and the man wanted to slam his head on a wall in frustration. It would figure that the moment Sascha admitted his feelings for him, asking him to stay with him, it would be the one time Evan couldn't do anything about it. He sighed and grabbed Sascha's hand, turning to look at the man and wrapping an arm around him to pull him closer.

"Love you too," he said, kissing his forehead.

Sascha giggled happily and held onto Evan, humming in contentment while the other man just sighed tiredly. It wasn't long before Sascha finally fell asleep, his breathing slowing and his hold on Evan weakening enough for the man to slip away and get Sascha settled in bed. Sascha didn't wake up, and Evan decided it was time to leave. He didn't know if Sascha would remember anything the next day, but a part of him hoped he didn't.

The night felt colder as he stepped out of the apartment building, the wind painfully chilly against his skin, still hot from Sascha's touch. But Evan would still have the memory of the florist's lips and his warm hands holding him close. Maybe it would be a while until he would feel them again, and the longing for it to happen would be torturous, but Evan would just make the best of things. At the very least, he now had some hope and the knowledge that his feelings were reciprocated, and that was enough to keep him from giving up.

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A/N: So, first time writing an author's note on this site. Just wanted to say it took me a while to update because of the holidays and my dad's birthday, so sorry for those of you keeping up with this story. The next update will be quick, I promise.

Thank you all for the lovely comments! They've helped a great deal and will be of more help when I edit this story. Also, thanks for all the votes and for just simply bothering to read my little story. Much love to you all. :)