Grayson stared gloomily at two digital tickets on his quantum computer.

He still hadn’t asked Neville out, and he was really running out of time.

He had already purchased the tickets from the aquarium’s premium booking system. He already arranged a plan and paid for the activities they could do on the adult playground. He had also reserved a private viewing platform where they could eat whatever Neville would bring in a picnic-style dinner.

It was not really about the money, but... a sigh escaped from him.

The moment Bryan entered, he already knew that Grayson hadn’t succeeded since the last time he helped him. He glanced at Neville, who was coldly working on his workload that visibly increased.

Neville was working on learning the ropes quickly, as Bryan would be gone on a business trip this weekend. He had no time to pay attention to Grayson at all.

Bryan looked at the situation and felt that this situation desperately called for reinforcements.

He hurriedly approached Grayson and whispered, "Pass me the tickets."

Grayson raised an eyebrow, but still did since he was also busy with his own work that Bryan just sent.

Bryan hurriedly sent a message to Julius.

B.Stewart: Get your ass up here and help.

LoyalDog: Why?

B.Stewart: Use this and improvise. *image attached: aquarium poster*

LoyalDog: ???

LoyalDog: Why?

B.Stewart: Just help, *image attached: Grayson looking depressed*

LoyalDog: *sees nothing wrong* ...Why?

B.Stewart: If you ask once more, I’m going to spread your baby naked photos.

LoyalDog: !!! How did you get that?!

B.Stewart: from someone’s mother, I guess.

LoyalDog: ...

As soon as that reply was sent, Julius arrived at Grayson’s office with a slightly resentful look.

But it was too obvious if you looked at how awkward and rigid he was walking that there was something off about him. Julius glanced at Bryan for a moment before decisively approaching Grayson’s desk with a blank expression.

Too blank, in Grayson’s opinion. But beggars couldn’t be choosers.

"The. Aquarium. In. Xylos’s. Shopping. Center. Opened." Julius delivered the line like an old model AI doing a mission report, each word separated by a mechanical pause.

Bryan, who had casually moved near Neville’s workstation to observe his reactions in a much closer look, side-eyed his fellow former military man with barely concealed exasperation.

Julius’s posture stiffened at the glance, but he also felt helpless. He knew his delivery was not good, even to his ears, but improvisation and acting on top of that had never been his strong suit.

"Is that today?" Bryan salvaged the conversation, injecting enthusiasm into his voice. "I’ve been meaning to visit with Iris. She’s fascinated by aquatic creatures for so long. She said something about pheromone similarities between certain deep-sea species and..."

He trailed off, perhaps realizing he was overcomplicating the setup.

Julius reached into his light brain and showed two VIP QR code passes. "I. Have. Free. Tickets. Do. You. Want. One?"

Bryan’s expression changed, and pretending to be thankful but also filled with despair.

"Unfortunately, I’m scheduled for a business trip to another planet this weekend. It’s a prior commitment." He turned toward Grayson with wide eyes that sparkled with a great idea. "What about you, sir? You might enjoy this new exhibit."

Grayson was about to decline since he had already arranged his own tickets through considerably more expensive channels when he caught Bryan’s wide-eyed, menacing stare.

Clearly written on it: Take. The. Tickets.

"...Sure."

"Oh, there are two passes," Bryan exclaimed, managing to sound genuinely perplexed. "Why do you even have extra tickets?"

Julius, for his part, delivered his scripted run-of-the-mill excuse with an automated response tone.

"Dump."

Silence.

Neville, who had been half-listening while finishing a procurement form, looked up with a sympathetic expression.

"That’s unfortunate," Neville offered, his tone kind. "Breakups are really difficult. But you’ll get over it soon."

Julius had no choice but to nod with minimal movement in case he got caught acting.

Bryan’s eye twitched again at the sight of it before turning towards Neville. "What about you, Hope? Would you like to take the second ticket?"

Neville’s gaze turned to Grayson, seeking permission from the person who got the other ticket.

Is it okay if I accept?

Grayson nodded without saying, since he was afraid that his tone would expose his irritation.

"I’ve never actually been to an aquarium," Neville said after receiving the QR code that Julius transferred to their light brains. "Free stuff is always good stuff."

Julius exhaled slowly. Relief was written all over his face after his mission succeeded against all odds.

"Thank you," Neville added, flashing a bright smile at Julius. "I really appreciate it."

He thanked Julius?

Grayson felt a vein pulse near his temple. He planned this whole trip, but Neville ended up thanking Julius.

He thought that with this kind of poor acting, Neville would somehow suspect that there was something odd about it. That Neville would somehow detect it like he always did when it came to company matters like corruption or the like.

Not to mention, Neville even looked at him, asking for permission.

What was that about then? Aren’t you grateful that I’m letting you come with me? Not that I’m asking you to be thankful about it, but can’t you at least thank the right person?

Grayson could only blame himself and swallow this frustration.

"Is it really okay, sir?" Neville suddenly asked, already returning to his professional tone. "I know weekends can be tricky with your schedule. If you need me to—"

"It’s better than going there alone." The words left Grayson’s mouth before he could think twice.

Neville’s eyes widened slightly, and then he smiled.

"Is that so?" Neville’s fingers were already moving across his quantum computer.

"I should bring my camera. The lighting in aquariums is supposed to be excellent for certain types of photography." His expression brightened further as he murmured to himself. "I’ve been meaning to start a new album."

Grayson watched his eyes light up with quiet enthusiasm, the slight curve of his lips as he continued working.

This wasn’t how he planned to ask him out. It wasn’t as smooth or as impressive as he had envisioned.

But still, they were going there together as planned.

He could work with that.

Grayson allowed himself a small smile.