"What actually happened to your office, anyway?"
"We're almost there, you'll see."
They went into the palaeontology halls, and Xeno saw the place he had toured the kids from Willowheath Primary School around. Strangely, it felt like a new place when Haiden was there, like having an expert in the field made Xeno into the following child.
The pair rounded a corner and saw what was unmistakably Haiden's office door. Unmistakable because the whole thing, doorframe and all, was wrapped in Christmas wrapping paper.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN:
Upon opening the door, Xeno looked around at a full office of complete wrapping. It was ridiculous, they'd even done his whole desk, with each item on it in a neat little package. He hated to admit it, but it was clear that this was expert craftsmanship.
"Ouch, imagine how long they were saving this for" Xeno chuckled, before noticing that Haiden's expression was stony. It was clear that the blonde man took his office very seriously. "Do you have any idea who did this?" Xeno added, perplexed.
"Nope, and I can't imagine why they'd have a problem with me. I only started a couple years ago. I guess I just got caught in the crossfire?"
"Yeah, I guess that makes sense."
"I mean, this is pretty tame compared to what else is happening. Earlier today, one of the dinosaur eggs got taken and hidden from one of the displays." He rolled his eyes. "We wasted so much time looking for it that we barely had any time to do anything productive all morning."
"I haven't heard anything from the others in Astronomy yet." Xeno wondered aloud.
"Well, of course you haven't. It was obviously someone from your department who.." He trailed off. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't assume." He began unwrapping an item on his desk which revealed itself as a potted plant. He did the same, revealing a snow globe with a little red and white flag painted onto the rim.
"You've been to Norway?" He asked.
"Yeah, I used to go there every winter. My Nana lives there with my Step granddad. They moved when I was little. I used to-" He trailed off, trying not to laugh.
"What is it?" Xeno asked, amused.
"No, It's nothing." Haiden responded. At the other man's amused look, he admitted: "Fine, it's embarrassing."
"I'm sure it isn't that bad. I'll tell you something embarrassing if you tell me."
Haiden laughed. "All right, fine, I used to give my grandparents my letters to Santa, I said that they could deliver them better because they lived closer to the north pole."
"That's not bad, I feel cheated." Xeno responded with mock annoyance, while beginning to unwrap what seemed to be Haiden's keyboard.
"No, the bad thing is that I did that up until I was thirteen or fourteen. My parents didn't tell me until really late, and somehow I never found out on my own."
"You're joking, no way you didn't realise." Xeno said, chuckling quietly. "Did no one at school tell you?"
"Don't make fun of me, you've still got something to tell me." He said, putting down a half- unwrapped computer mouse and folding his arms.
"Fine, I guess that was embarrassing enough for me to say something back. Let me think.."
Xeno puzzled over what to say while he helped Haiden to unwrap his industrial pencil sharpener. What was embarrassing enough about him that would be funny enough to bring up inconversation? Suddenly, he remembered something from when he was younger.
"When I was younger, young enough for it to still be acceptable but, like, old enough for it to still be odd, I would still sleep in my Parents' bed regularly. Like, four or five times a night?"
"How old were you the last time?" Haiden asked, while he picked up the items off of the desk.
"I must've been like.. I wanna say twelve or thirteen? After that, my dad got tired of it and told me to "man up".".
Haiden started laughing. Not a cold, heartless laugh but a warm, friendly one. It was a nice sound. It was nice to make someone laugh with a story about his family, especially because there seemed to be few good ones since he'd left.
"Hey, can you unwrap the desk while I lift it? Somehow they got under it." Haiden said.
"Sure, but are you gonna be able to carry it by yourse-"
