Jasper just watched, eyes wide, as Alec left. This wasn't the only time he'd been asked on a date, but Alec was certainly the most confident person to ask him out. He had to sit there for a solid ten minutes and sip his now-cold coffee before he could focus enough on his math problem to finish it. After he finally managed that, he slipped his phone into his pocket and went home. Horace would certainly be interested to hear about this, and thrilled. He'd been pushing Jasper to put himself out there and have fun instead of study, but Jasper couldn't blame him. Horace was used to being at the center of important events and parties in Wonderland, and it was obvious that he missed it. Everything else, not so much.
When he got home, he threw his stuff onto his floor, as usual. He may be a practical and anxious person, but his room always seemed to look like a bomb hit it. Surprisingly enough, Horace was the clean one of the two of them. Jasper found Horace in the kitchen, making tea. He rolled his eyes. The guy was practically addicted to tea, and it was one of the reasons that Jasper vastly preferred coffee.
"So, Horace," he began timidly, "I have a date." He blushed as he said this, not quite as bright red as earlier, but still quite noticeably. Horace turned around, beaming, and actually clapped. Jasper raised an eyebrow. "It's not that surprising."
"You've finally done it, my boy!" Horace cheered. Jasper rolled his eyes. Horace had a habit of calling Jasper "my boy", which annoyed him but also made him miss his real parents.
"Okay, okay, we get it," Jasper sighed. "I'm not exactly outgoing. Anyway."
"What's the lucky person's name?" Horace asked.
"Alec," Jasper responded. At this, Horace went pale. Jasper frowned, knowing that reaction couldn't mean anything good. "It might not be that."
"Mhmm," muttered Horace. "The time has come."
"No, the time hasn't come!" Jasper retorted, getting annoyed. "Not everyone whose name sounds like hers is part of the damn fairy tale!" Horace simply raised an eyebrow at the outburst. Jasper sighed.