[for Harry | post Mardi Gras party]

They had to take a taxi back from the party because it was far enough outside of town that walking wasn't necessarily advisable, but that was alright. Neil sticks himself close to Harry in the back of the cab, the way he had after both of their dates, and radiates a subtle, soft affection that comes over him when he's alone with Harry.

Probably, he shouldn't be so easily enamored with people. Probably, someday, it will hurt him. He is, after all, playing a risky game with the casual encounters he has with Elliot and Benjamin, all while letting Harry dote just a little bit of romance at him. But it's terribly nice to be adored, even if he's sure it won't last. Maybe that's self-defeating. At least it's honest.

They arrive at Neil's building and, as always, Harry pays for the taxi. Neil certainly can't complain about that. He worries, occasionally, about the amount that Harry seems willing to pay on him--food and drinks, taxi rides, those sorts of things. But he also can't quite find it in himself to say that he's capable of paying his own way.

Inside the building, inside his apartment, Neil relaxes even more than he'd been at the pool side. He kicks off his shoes, having not put his socks back on after having them in the pool, and strips off his sweater he'd been wearing as well. It lifts his t-shirt briefly, revealing a strip of skin just about his jeans.

"Do you want something to drink?"