Date with Gideon

Azure smirked at Gideon’s grumpy looking face as he opened the door to his workshop. It was opening hours and Azure had been sitting here for quite some time, waiting for him to open up. From the expression on the older Boo’s face, he didn’t seem to be all that excited about it. 

“Mornin’,” he said gruffly, moving the door aside to allow Azure into the workshop, presumably to purchase one of the many incubators that he had crafted. The man was a fine craftsman, having created a number of strange contraptions, but his incubators were by far the most popular item. Plus? He wasn’t wrong. Azure was there for an incubator. But he was there to help craft one and learn from the man because this incubator was going to be incredibly special. 

“Coffee?” Azure asked, holding out one of the cups with him. The one that was full and still steaming. The other boo grunted in thanks, taking the cup and taking a sip before letting out a hum of pleasure. Azure was glad he’d made a bet on that. It wasn’t any secret that Gideon was known for staying up long into the night tinkering on his latest projects, so coffee had felt like a good bet. 

“So, whatcha looking for kid?” Gideon asked, looking Azure up and down with scrutiny. The Boo understood the concern. He was very… frilly, for lack of a better word. But he liked being beautiful and wasn’t ever going to apologize for it. Perhaps the other boo thought he was here for some kind of accessory or something frivolous, but his visit was far more important. 

“Well, anyone who’s anyone knows you’re the man to talk to about incubators,” Azure began. Gideon nodded along. 

“You’ve got your pick,” the older boo said, gesturing to the wall of completed incubators in various colours and sizes. “These are the most common, but those magma ones cost more.”

Azure shook his head. “Not that I don’t appreciate it, but I’m looking for something a little more… personal. You up for a quick lesson?” 

“Quick?” Gideon clicked his tongue. “Incubators take time, precision and patience. You have to ensure to have them perfectly calibrated so they keep an egg at the perfect temperature. It ain’t something you learn in a ‘quick lesson’.” 

Azure hung his head a little in embarrassment. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to belittle your work,” he said honestly. “The truth is… I’ve been with my partner, Kai, for quite some time. And I was wanting to take things to the next step. I thought maybe if I had a hand in making the incubator for us that it would… y’know… mean a little more,” he admitted. Gideon looked him over for a moment before a smile broke out under his mustache. 

“Well, why didn’t you say so?” he said, clapping Azure on the back with his free hand. “I’d be happy to help you and yer fella out. Nice to see the young ones taking something like that so seriously. It’s a big step.” 

“I know,” Azure replied sincerely. “But I think we’re ready for it.” 

“Congratulations! Now, let’s get you building an incubator!” Gideon began gathering his tools and Azure could help the smile on his face. Kai was going to be so surprised. He couldn’t imagine a better gift. A promise for their future. He wondered if their egg would look more like him or Kai… would they be more shy? Bold? Whatever their little one ended up being, it would be perfect. Hopefully Kai would say yes… And with Gideon’s help? Azure was sure there was no way he could fail.