NOTES → Kas introduces West to the wonders of vegan cuisine, officially. It’s an adventure.
Westley is more nervous tonight than he’s yet to be. Because tonight Kasper is taking him to his favorite restaurant. It’s scary. West loves meat, always has. But his soulmate was completely vegan. Whomever picked them to be together for the rest of their lives seemed to have a pretty ironic sense of humor. At any rate here he was bundled against the coming winter, outside of the only vegan place he knew all because Kasper seemed so excited when West said they could.
TAGGING → Eric Garner, Katelyn Davenport; eventually cameos by Emerson & Cameron Ellington-MacKenzie, as well as Piper.
LOCATION → Central Park, New York City
TIMEFRAME → Saturday, February 13, 2016
NOTES → Eric takes his honeybee and their best friends or an outing to Central Park reminiscent of childhood. Cue snowball fights, snowmen (and women) building, and other surprises.
Eric’s been an absolute sappy mess since Monday, since he found the ring. He’s spent most of the of the week seducing Katelyn in his usual dorky way. To be honest, he’s probably annoyed her with how clingy he’s been, especially after he spent the majority of four days away from her. To find her engagement ring, the perfect engagement ring, yes, but still, it was a long time to be away from her.
Now he’s starting to get anxious. He knows, in his heart, she’ll say yes, even if head told him otherwise. He wanted to ask her now. And every other time he saw her, or hear her laugh. He was eager to start their life together. She was too. They’ve talked about it. About kids, their wedding. Maybe it was the Russian in him, the traditions he grew up learning. His mothers’ own wedding. But he didn’t want to wait. He wanted to marry her tomorrow. To call Katie his wife. Or maybe it had nothing to do with tradition and everything to do with Eric being completely, absolutely, positively, and irrevocably in love with Katelyn Emelia Davenport.
Speaking of, Eric joins said honeybee on the couch and immediately cuddles close. He’s had his proposal planned all week and now it was time to finally put the gears into motion. With a grin, he lays his head on her shoulder. “Do you wanna build a snowman? Come on let’s go and play,” Eric sings teasingly. “I’ve just decided that we’re very much overdue for some childish fun, i.e. snowman making and snowball fights. So let’s convince our friends to meet us in Central Park. Then maybe we can go out for a early dinner and dessert?”
I Couldn’t Decide on One Lyric, So Go Listen to the Song from Friends →
TAGGING → Erik Garner & Emerson Ellington-MacKenzie
LOCATION → ShakeShack; Upper West Side
TIMEFRAME → Thursday, February 5, 2016
NOTES → Eric has important things to discuss with his best friend.
Lunch dates between Emerson and Eric are rare these days. It used to happen once a week at minimum, but then it slowly dissipated. Emerson usually does lunch meeting and when he’s not, he’s spending lunch with his husband. The rare times he does have a free lunch, Emerson’s been barely able to drag Eric away from his newly found relationship.
Of course, Eric doesn’t see this as a problem. He’s too enraptured by his love for Katelyn to really care. Though, it does bother him, that they haven’t hung out very much since, well, since Emerson got married.
It was a pleasant surprise to find them both free when Eric asked Em out for lunch, at Shake Shack of all places. They’d just sat down; Em with his ‘Shroom Burger and Root Beer Float and Eric with his SmokeShack and lemonade, an order of cheese fries between them.
“This reminds me of how we used to hang out after practice,” Eri says taking a bite of his burger.
“Except we’re missing Danny, Jakob and Gray. And it was Wendy’s, but yeah. Okay,” agrees Em, though it’s sarcastic.
Eric rolls his eyes. “We didn’t always go out with them.”
Emerson picks up a fry, twirling the cheese around it. “A lot’s happened since those days. Danny and Jakob have been married for like six years. Bella’s four already. She’s getting so big. I don’t remember the last time I even saw them, I bet she’s even bigger now. Last I heard, Gray was in Germany doing some sciencey stuff.”
Eric grins. “Yeah, I think he’s dating a local. And I spoke to Danny just before Thanksgiving, they were going to his sister’s place, but they’re thinking about adopting another kid. A boy this time.”
“Really? Good for them. I should probably get in touch with them again. You know, now that I’m sober. I kinda miss them. God... I still remember you assholes daring me to ski naked in Aspen. Assbutt.”
“Dicklick.“ He laughs, eating a fry. “You’re married now, Em. Your anniversary is what March?”
“April fifth,” he corrects. “God, I know. I was starting to think it was never going to happen. Cam’s been my saving grace.”
“Never thought I’d ever see you in such a healthy relationship. You have a kid on the way. You’ve come around. I’m proud of you, Em. Pissed because you forgot my birthday because you got married, but mostly proud.”
Emerson grins. “Yeah, I’m not the only one that’s had some major changes. Who would’ve thought you’d go from hiring your roommate to pose naked for you to illustrating a popular children’s series.And you’re dating my baby momma.”
Eric blushes, a brilliant smile lighting up his face as he looks down at his food. “That’s actually why I wanted to do lunch. I wanted to talk to you about something.”
Em’s brows furrow. His head tilting the slightest bit. He makes a motion for Eri to continue when he realizes he wasn’t.
“I want to ask Katelyn to marry me,” Eric says, biting his lip.
Emerson nearly chokes on his float, but grins nonetheless. “Really? So soon?”
“It’s been...almost two months,” he replies defensively. “And you have no room to talk. At least Katie and I have known each other longer than four months. Plus it’s not like we’re going to elope in Vegas. Although if you look at the track record for our group of friends, 60% percent of us got married in Vegas.”
“Shut up. Don’t knock it. I’m just not used to you being proactive in a relationship, I guess.”
Eric shrugs. “I’m tired of waiting for what I want, Em. I waited everyday for five years for the moment that I realized I wanted to spend the rest of my life with Alison. And it never came. But with Katie...there’s never not been a moment where I didn’t know I wanted to spend my life with her. I see my--our future in her smile, hear it in her laugh, feel it in her touch. She’s The One, Em. She’s the only one I want.”
“You really do love her,” Emerson points out. “More than you ever did Ali.”
“I do. With everything I have. She’s my soulmate.”
Em smirks. “You realize you have to tell Cameron, right? He’s gonna make your life hell if you don’t give her the perfect proposal. He’s fiercely protective of her.”
Eric laughs again. Em loves the sound. It’s light than it’s been for years. Something he hasn’t heard since they played for NYU. “Yeah, I know. I wanted to talk to my best friend first. Get a feel for how he felt.”
“I approve, Eri. You’re a lot happier than you’ve been in a while. Katelyn’s a lucky woman.”
A lot’s happened in the last six years. Both boys have gone through a lot. They’re nearly thirty, Eric will be come April. Both have had terrible relationships and times where the only person they could rely on was the other.
But now things are looking up.
They’re starting new chapters in their lives. Em’s on motherhood. And Eric, hopefully, on marriage.
They couldn’t be more proud of the other. Of themselves.
TAGGING → Katelyn Davenport and Eric Garner (with a cameo by Emerson Mackenzie)
LOCATION → Not going to lie, it’s basically all in Eric’s head as he heads to Katelyn’s place.
TIMEFRAME → Monday, December 7, 2015
NOTES → It’s. About. Fucking. Time. Also, this is like barely about Erilyn.
Eric shockingly had a very busy day, for one without a project. The winter holidays usually went either way with projects. Sometimes he had two or three, because Helena was on the ball and had some brilliant idea or her kids came up with another worldly adventure. Or it was like now, pretty dead. Which was blessed, considering. Sure he and Katelyn had been non-stop texting and messaging since well, since Katelyn started getting cravings. He was almost always over at her place nowadays. Not that he was complaining. Katelyn was great company, the best he’s had in a while. Not that Emerson wasn’t great company. She was, but she’s been so preoccupied with her husband. Not that he can blame her. They are newlyweds.
He didn’t mind Katie’s texting so much. Em had bribed him to meet her for lunch, which ended up being a quick bite from a food truck and then rushing off to the nearest shelter to start looking for the “purrfect” pocket kitten. Emerson must’ve gotten it in her head that it was going to take a while to find the perfect one. Mostly because she had no idea what made the perfect kitten. She really wasn’t a cat person. Eric tried to pretend he wasn’t interested in cat shopping (but come on, it was for his Katie. You really think he had any chance at succeeding?) which he failed at epically as they neared the last group of kittens, a mix of calico and tabby cats. They were barely old enough to be away from their mother. Em was pushing the last of her break to it’s limits and was paying more attention to the three year old lab that was begging to be taken home.
The point in all this was that Eric had found the purrfect pocket kitten, as it were. Not even meaning to. She was nibbling on one of her sibling’s tails when he spotted her. She was tiny, a golden tabby with grey blue eyes. They called her Whiskey, because mom was found behind a liquor store. And she fell asleep the moment Eric put her in his pocket on his way back to the apartment. And again when he left for Katelyn’s apartment. Which was cute and adorable and just barely enough to distract Eric from how nervous he was in that moment. Because somewhere between kitten shopping and knocking on Katie’s door, Katelyn and Eric went from Katelyn and Eric to KatelynandEric. And it would be just his luck that the kitten woke up from its nap at the sound of his knocking. She mewls quietly and pokes her head out of his pullover’s pocket to look up at Eric, who gently tucks her back into his pocket so she doesn’t ruin the surprise.
