Sparking Hearts

Aras is best known for one thing: his eternal grouchiness. It’s not as if he tries to be standoffish. Life is just simpler and more pleasant when there aren’t so many people around. A crowd means pressure, expectation, and way too much stimulation. So the fact he ended up as a TV star, with cameras recording every flaw and foible to broadcast to the world is…less than ideal. The newest job, at least, is a bit of a bright spot. They get to help this client come into her own after a messy divorce and stop hiding her passion for collecting carnival glass. But he is getting a lot of unexpected attention from one of the lighting grips on set. Unexpected…but not entirely unwelcome, he has to admit. As long as he can keep a handle on himself, everything should be fine and dandy.

Dane didn’t expect any kind of infatuation on set. Why would he? Falling for someone out of the blue happens to other people. Not antisocial lighting grips who spend their days off building model robots. But he can’t seem to detach himself from Aras. Most of the crew—and seemingly a lot of the other hosts—give Aras a wide berth, but Dane can’t help but watch him, see how he handles the wiring and the lighting, and of course check him out when he bends over. Dane might be antisocial, but he’s still a red-blooded bisexual man. But he’s also under no delusions: this is one-sided, and someone like Aras would never be interested in a big old nerd like Dane.

With a house that needs heavy work on custom lighting, Aras is thrust to the front of the entire job. Not a place he wants to be. Dane knows a thing or two about displaying a collection and making it look nice, which the job clearly requires. Hopefully, they can illuminate the dark spaces between them and find something bright for the both of them.