Cordelia had been eyeing Chad's bowtie for a while, he'd had the thing for as long as she'd known him so it was well worn and she had decided that it was finally time to do something about it.

She’d made a trip to the specialty clothing store on her way home from work and was going to surprise him with the new bowtie the next morning. After Chad had gone to sleep, she slipped out from under the covers and retrieved the old bowtie. Unboxing the new bowtie that she’d hidden, she placed the new one where the old one had previously rested and went to toss the old bowtie in the trash. Then she went back to bed.

The next morning Chad woke up as he usually did. He climbed out of bed and went about his morning routine with taking a shower and getting dressed, finally getting to the bowtie. He went to fetch it but was perplexed to find a different one in its place. This wasn’t his bowtie… he’d never seen this one in his life, and it didn’t seem to have any use. Did Cordelia do this?

“Cordelia!” Chad called out and went to go find her. He found her in the living room, initially turning to smile at him but then wore a surprised frown. What was going on?

“Hey, have you seen my bowtie?” Chad asked her. “The one that I always wear.”

“But…” Cordelia frowned deeper. “You’ve had that ragged old thing since I first met you. I wanted to surprise you with a new one to go with the rest of your outfit… didn’t you see it?”

“I saw it,” Chad confirmed, “but I want my old bowtie. Do you know where it is?”

“Chad…” Cordelia’s feelings were hurt. “Do you not… like the one I got for you?”

“That’s not it,” Chad shook his head. “The bowtie looks nice and all that, but that other one was my favorite and I like wearing it.”

“But change is good,” Cordelia gave him an encouraging smile. “The one I got you looks much nicer than that old thing. Why don’t you try it on?”

“You don’t get it,” Chad frowned. “That bowtie is… it’s important to me. Can you at least give it back?”

“But I already tossed it in the trash,” Cordelia said, not thinking much of it. “Come on, you have a perfectly good tie waiting for you.”

“You tossed it in the trash?!” Chad suddenly raised his voice, his eyes going wide with panic. “What is wrong with you?!”

“Chad--” Cordelia tried to talk to him, but he already bolted from the room. With a frown, Cordelia ran after him and discovered Chad frantically going through the garbage.

“Dammit, where is it?!” Chad hissed, taking each bag and sifting through the contents. He roughly tossed the bags aside that didn’t contain what he was looking for. Eventually, he found it.

“There it is…” Chad brushed off the bowtie with his hand before taking it and putting it on. Cordelia looked at him with concern and confusion. It was just a bowtie… an old one at that. Why did Chad make such a big deal of it?

“Chad…?” Cordelia looked at him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “What’s… what does the bowtie mean to you?”

Chad closed his eyes and sighed heavily. “Here, let’s sit down on the couch. It’s… not something I really talk about.”

Cordelia wordlessly followed him to the living room and sat down next to him. Chad took a deep breath and looked to the floor.

“The bowtie…” Chad started, “was a gift from my parents. They worked really hard to set aside whatever they could so they could get it for me… it helps me to remember their endless kindness and love that I don’t deserve.”

“Chad…” Cordelia put a hand on his shoulder. “I… didn’t know that.”

Chad sighed. “Of course I’ve never told them, but this bowtie is one of my most prized possessions. It… it keeps me down closer to earth, you know? Even when I’m at my most cruel, I still have this as a reminder of what love is… and it levels me out a bit, I guess.”

Chad hugged Chad without another word. “I’m so sorry… what I thought was a ragged old piece of junk is something special to you and I almost threw it away… I don’t know what I would have done if I ruined that forever.”

“It’s okay,” Chad said and hugged her back. “I know you didn’t mean it… you wanted to do a nice thing for me, and I really appreciate it. I love the bowtie you got me, but it’s just…”

“I get it,” Cordelia nodded. “I won’t try that again.”

“Thank you.”