[It's been some time since their reunion, since Dextera letting everyone else know he's alive, since their first time... and Guren has been busy a lot of the time with the defense force stuff. Today, though, it's long enough after the meeting that he can set aside some of the things he's been thinking on and working out, and he can wait on taking out Tonbokiri and the small group he's created for tomorrow...
He's not really sure what's going to happen there. So he wants to make sure he doesn't waste any time. He's got his uniform minus the jacket on, that bracelet of Dextera's, and no, he's not slicking his hair back for a date!!
Instead, he's making sure no one else in this nosy ass house is going to see him in the front yard, or on the way to Dextera's room. He doesn't want to be stopped for questions! So, he slips into the room and shuts the door behind him, sliding his gaze over to Dextera as soon as he does.]
[ dextera’s been a little busy too with considerably less important things, like taking care of the cat that damian let him “adopt,” for whatever adopting looks like on a fickle cat that roams the town as he pleases.
damian said he could keep pennyworth! so he’s been trying to make sure the house is cat-proof, at least a little.
it’s never going to be guren-proof, though, and he doesn’t want it to be—when guren slips into his room so casually, dextera closes his laptop from whoever he was messaging, and smiles. of course he’s happy to see guren. ]
[It always fills his chest with warmth to see Dextera so happy, but today his heart is fluttering a little extra. There's also the fact that he's still in disbelief that Dextera is really here again. He's back. He's okay. Nothing has gone wrong... He doesn't want to ruin that.]
[ dextera’s smile turns to an expression of gentle surprise, and he shakes his head, rising from his spot on the floor. he loves to sit on the floor. ]
Quest?
[ he wouldn’t assume anything else, even if guren doesn’t look like he’s gearing up for a quest, and he usually lets dextera know in advance if they’re going to do something like that. ]
if guren hadn’t come in here looking quite comfortable and casual, he would think he’s done something wrong—and he still does, but it’s not as strong an anxiety as it could be.
slowly, he places his hand in guren’s, glancing from their fingers to guren’s face. ]
He smiles a little at Dextera's expression, though, pulling him a little closer, ducking down that small distance to catch his lips in a chaste little kiss. It's been nice, dotting these here and there like hellos.
He hopes it's not too much.]
You've heard of a date before, right? You don't have to be nervous.
[He'd hesitated... But now, Guren can stand back up, leading him by the hand back out the door.]
[ his brain catches up, as guren pulls him along out the door. everyone else in the house is either out or busy, so no one would think anything of guren taking dextera somewhere with an expression like that on both of their faces. ]
[He's not letting go of his hand, either, so everyone in the town can fuck off unless they want a boot to the face. By some miracle, they're uninterrupted as they walk, but Guren was Honestly Prepared to fight, so know that.]
I'm gonna have you close your eyes when we get close enough, too. It'll be better that way.
dextera is nervous, but it’s a good, excited kind of nervous—his chest is tight with anticipation, and he honestly doesn’t even need to close his eyes when he’s entirely focused on the feelings of their hands touching.
this is his first date. probably. of course he’s distracted from everything else. ]
…
[ he squeezes guren’s fingers, and when he’s instructed, he’s just going to close his eyes without protest. ]
[It had taken a long time to find a spot like this. Guren went through just about everything in his mind, and only actually taking a walk around had helped him. Rooftops were unstable, the view of the town wasn't good enough, and the water in the harbor was too wrong, too much what Dextera already saw. Flavo was about the closest he could get, and even that wasn't right. It was crowded, now, even as abandoned as everything is.
And so Guren leads them to the woods near Flavo, instead, and that's when he has Dextera close his eyes. He doesn't have to worry about walking on unstable ground, since Guren guides him smoothly across every bit of dirt and raised roots, helping him carefully and then slowing their steps. It's not too far in that he has to go, thankfully.]
Okay, you can look.
[He's no master at this sort of thing. Honestly, it's his first try... It just seems right, even if it's corny, like straight out of a romance novel. No one is here to judge or criticize him.
There are still trees from the forest around them, but there's also a large number of plants. Mostly, there are lavender plants more centralized here than he's ever seen (thanks Okuyasu and Ochako), but if Dextera looks really closely, he might be able to find one of the other colored plants— like dandelions, and a familiar tulip or two, like the ones in front of Dextera's house.
It's a cute little lavender clearing in the middle of what's an otherwise horrible forest, and Guren was apparently here before he went to get Dextera, since there's a blanket laid out in the middle of it all with a basket on top.]
[ dextera smells it before he sees it, but he doesn’t know what it is—just that there’s a light, floral scent on the breeze, and it’s soothing in a way not many things in this town are. there are plants brushing against his ankles, and when guren guides him to open his eyes, he immediately, embarrassingly, gasps. ]
I—?
[ his voice is there, too, small and private and hidden but there, like the sight of it all has made him momentarily forget his trauma. his pain.
he doesn’t let go of guren’s hand, and looks quickly to guren as if to reassure himself that this is for him.
guren didn’t make a mistake? he didn’t intend to take someone else out here? ]
[ Every time he urges that voice out it makes him so excited. It’s an accomplishment, a step towards helping Dextera. Guren squeezes his hand lightly, tugging at it as he takes another step or two to reach the blanket. ]
You like it? I found it and thought you would. I’m not some special cook or anything, but I made us food so we can relax here for a while.
[ He shifts, like he wants to sit on the blanket, but he’s waiting for Dextera to do so with him. ]
[ dextera understands what guren wants, what this setup is for, and so he gently sits himself down on the blanket and motions for guren to come with him.
it’s exciting. his first date. he knows it’s his first with certainty, because there’s no one else he would do something like this with, here or before everything happened. ]
I love it.
[ assuring that, he pulls guren in closer, to kiss him. ]
[ Guren follows, of course, sitting down next to Dextera and leaning into the kiss with even the smallest pull. He loves it... good. Guren has no idea what he’s doing, and he stands by that. He kisses back, placing a hand against Dextera’s cheek when they part so he can stay close and touch their foreheads together. ]
I know I’ll need your help with dangerous things in the future... but that doesn’t mean it’s all we have to do. Thankfully, even this place can let us take a break and spend time together.
[Guren watches him quietly at that answer. It makes his chest burn, his heart leap, and he enjoys the pressing of their fingers... but there's something like concern in his eyes, too.]
I know. [It's quiet, and he keeps their eye contact.] But you don't have to. As long as we meet back in the end... you can follow, or you can wait for me.
[He's not sure Dextera should always follow him, even if he loves his company. He already has that issue with loyalty, doesn't he? Where he's so intent on following someone else, someone like Ryo, like that Archangel.
Guren doesn't want to be that sort of force in his life. He wants to be something different.]
[ waiting for someone? dextera has never been given that option. that implies something like independence, a chance to go forward on his own, and that’s—terrifying, frankly.
he knows guren doesn’t like his devotion to the archangel, or his closest proxy in ryo. dextera doesn’t like it either, but that certainty that he can’t think for himself is so deeply ingrained that he can’t help it.
still, when guren says it—it somehow feels possible. ]
…okay.
[ he’s not acquiescing. he’s just trying to listen, truly. ]
[Guren is relieved that Dextera doesn't argue him on this. The most worrying thing would have been the insistence that it was right to follow, even if it's ironic that going along and agreeing with him is the healthier choice. At least, that's how he views it.
Whatever. He leans in, kisses him once more, and then reaches to the side for the basket, pulling back just so he can pull it close. I don't fucking know what they could eat but Guren made something simple but just careful enough to be cute, so there it is, enjoy it.]
[ there’s probably some berries and stuff in there, and dextera will immediately go for those because he’s predictable. it’s amazing enough that guren found this place—having something to eat alongside it is just extra special.
[Oh yeah, there are definitely berries, and Guren ends up holding one out near Dextera's mouth for him to take, if he wants.]
Lavender has a lot of uses, but I couldn't bring myself to pick any of it from here. There's actually plenty of it in Flavo, and around other parts of the forest near here. I guess this was just a lucky place where more of it grew.
I'm sure it wasn't here before, either, which means something made it appear. [He's thinking he's getting how this town works, little by little...]
[ it is absolutely necessary that dextera gets that berry, and because this is a date, he doesn’t shy away from letting his lips brush guren’s fingertips—even if it’s unnecessary.
they’re together. everything is fine. flirting is fine, and dextera doesn’t have to be ashamed of his desire if guren wants it too. ]
Like the tulips.
[ there are a few of them growing around here, actually, but nothing as bright or well-tended as the ones in front of dextera’s home. ]
[Guren had seen those, and he was half tempted to pick one and give it to Dextera... but picking it means killing it, and in a town like this, he thought Dextera would appreciate the living ones more. Guren does, at least.
He shifts subtly on the blanket, making it so that his arm can brush against Dextera's from how close they are. The next berry is for himself, but he'll give Dextera one more, at least.]
They remind me of you. Not just the tulips. Flowers do.
[ dextera is going to do something brave here, and settle himself in guren’s lap. he could fall asleep here, like this, but he’s not going to do that because he wants to be awake for every moment with… his guren? whatever they are. it doesn’t matter.
[Oh... he's in his lap, all of a sudden, and Guren is so surprised that he hesitates before placing his hand on his head, running his fingers through his hair. This is...fine, right?
Now, what's a not embarrassing way to say that Dextera blossoms with love and brightens everyone's day.]
They just do.
[Thanks, that's helpful. But Guren thinks on it a moment longer, and relents.]
They make people happy and relaxed. It's... something beautiful growing even in harsher conditions.
[He's looking away, now, trying to hide how gay that was.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
action ; 7/5ish or at least before that quest with emma
He's not really sure what's going to happen there. So he wants to make sure he doesn't waste any time. He's got his uniform minus the jacket on, that bracelet of Dextera's, and no, he's not slicking his hair back for a date!!
Instead, he's making sure no one else in this nosy ass house is going to see him in the front yard, or on the way to Dextera's room. He doesn't want to be stopped for questions! So, he slips into the room and shuts the door behind him, sliding his gaze over to Dextera as soon as he does.]
...Hey.
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damian said he could keep pennyworth! so he’s been trying to make sure the house is cat-proof, at least a little.
it’s never going to be guren-proof, though, and he doesn’t want it to be—when guren slips into his room so casually, dextera closes his laptop from whoever he was messaging, and smiles. of course he’s happy to see guren. ]
Hello.
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Are you busy, or can I take you somewhere?
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Quest?
[ he wouldn’t assume anything else, even if guren doesn’t look like he’s gearing up for a quest, and he usually lets dextera know in advance if they’re going to do something like that. ]
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[He extends his hand, but it's not the usual confident way he does. It's gentle, relaxed, asking for Dextera's hand rather than demanding it.]
Just somewhere nice, just the two of us. I've got a place in mind.
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if guren hadn’t come in here looking quite comfortable and casual, he would think he’s done something wrong—and he still does, but it’s not as strong an anxiety as it could be.
slowly, he places his hand in guren’s, glancing from their fingers to guren’s face. ]
…
[ he nods. ]
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He smiles a little at Dextera's expression, though, pulling him a little closer, ducking down that small distance to catch his lips in a chaste little kiss. It's been nice, dotting these here and there like hellos.
He hopes it's not too much.]
You've heard of a date before, right? You don't have to be nervous.
[He'd hesitated... But now, Guren can stand back up, leading him by the hand back out the door.]
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a date! ]
Ah—!
[ his brain catches up, as guren pulls him along out the door. everyone else in the house is either out or busy, so no one would think anything of guren taking dextera somewhere with an expression like that on both of their faces. ]
Where?
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[He's not letting go of his hand, either, so everyone in the town can fuck off unless they want a boot to the face. By some miracle, they're uninterrupted as they walk, but Guren was Honestly Prepared to fight, so know that.]
I'm gonna have you close your eyes when we get close enough, too. It'll be better that way.
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dextera is nervous, but it’s a good, excited kind of nervous—his chest is tight with anticipation, and he honestly doesn’t even need to close his eyes when he’s entirely focused on the feelings of their hands touching.
this is his first date. probably. of course he’s distracted from everything else. ]
…
[ he squeezes guren’s fingers, and when he’s instructed, he’s just going to close his eyes without protest. ]
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And so Guren leads them to the woods near Flavo, instead, and that's when he has Dextera close his eyes. He doesn't have to worry about walking on unstable ground, since Guren guides him smoothly across every bit of dirt and raised roots, helping him carefully and then slowing their steps. It's not too far in that he has to go, thankfully.]
Okay, you can look.
[He's no master at this sort of thing. Honestly, it's his first try... It just seems right, even if it's corny, like straight out of a romance novel. No one is here to judge or criticize him.
There are still trees from the forest around them, but there's also a large number of plants. Mostly, there are lavender plants more centralized here than he's ever seen (thanks Okuyasu and Ochako), but if Dextera looks really closely, he might be able to find one of the other colored plants— like dandelions, and a familiar tulip or two, like the ones in front of Dextera's house.
It's a cute little lavender clearing in the middle of what's an otherwise horrible forest, and Guren was apparently here before he went to get Dextera, since there's a blanket laid out in the middle of it all with a basket on top.]
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I—?
[ his voice is there, too, small and private and hidden but there, like the sight of it all has made him momentarily forget his trauma. his pain.
he doesn’t let go of guren’s hand, and looks quickly to guren as if to reassure himself that this is for him.
guren didn’t make a mistake? he didn’t intend to take someone else out here? ]
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You like it? I found it and thought you would. I’m not some special cook or anything, but I made us food so we can relax here for a while.
[ He shifts, like he wants to sit on the blanket, but he’s waiting for Dextera to do so with him. ]
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it’s exciting. his first date. he knows it’s his first with certainty, because there’s no one else he would do something like this with, here or before everything happened. ]
I love it.
[ assuring that, he pulls guren in closer, to kiss him. ]
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I know I’ll need your help with dangerous things in the future... but that doesn’t mean it’s all we have to do. Thankfully, even this place can let us take a break and spend time together.
[ So... dates...!!! ]
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for those words, though, he’s glad he waited. ]
…
[ a small, quick kiss, just to acknowledge that he’s heard guren. he presses their fingers together as well, just enjoying the heat of guren’s palm. ]
I’d follow you anywhere.
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I know. [It's quiet, and he keeps their eye contact.] But you don't have to. As long as we meet back in the end... you can follow, or you can wait for me.
[He's not sure Dextera should always follow him, even if he loves his company. He already has that issue with loyalty, doesn't he? Where he's so intent on following someone else, someone like Ryo, like that Archangel.
Guren doesn't want to be that sort of force in his life. He wants to be something different.]
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he knows guren doesn’t like his devotion to the archangel, or his closest proxy in ryo. dextera doesn’t like it either, but that certainty that he can’t think for himself is so deeply ingrained that he can’t help it.
still, when guren says it—it somehow feels possible. ]
…okay.
[ he’s not acquiescing. he’s just trying to listen, truly. ]
Thank you.
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[Guren is relieved that Dextera doesn't argue him on this. The most worrying thing would have been the insistence that it was right to follow, even if it's ironic that going along and agreeing with him is the healthier choice. At least, that's how he views it.
Whatever. He leans in, kisses him once more, and then reaches to the side for the basket, pulling back just so he can pull it close. I don't fucking know what they could eat but Guren made something simple but just careful enough to be cute, so there it is, enjoy it.]
Here.
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…
[ there’s probably some berries and stuff in there, and dextera will immediately go for those because he’s predictable. it’s amazing enough that guren found this place—having something to eat alongside it is just extra special.
a date. ]
Smells nice—here.
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[Oh yeah, there are definitely berries, and Guren ends up holding one out near Dextera's mouth for him to take, if he wants.]
Lavender has a lot of uses, but I couldn't bring myself to pick any of it from here. There's actually plenty of it in Flavo, and around other parts of the forest near here. I guess this was just a lucky place where more of it grew.
I'm sure it wasn't here before, either, which means something made it appear. [He's thinking he's getting how this town works, little by little...]
The town keeps getting prettier.
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they’re together. everything is fine. flirting is fine, and dextera doesn’t have to be ashamed of his desire if guren wants it too. ]
Like the tulips.
[ there are a few of them growing around here, actually, but nothing as bright or well-tended as the ones in front of dextera’s home. ]
Our tulips.
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[Guren had seen those, and he was half tempted to pick one and give it to Dextera... but picking it means killing it, and in a town like this, he thought Dextera would appreciate the living ones more. Guren does, at least.
He shifts subtly on the blanket, making it so that his arm can brush against Dextera's from how close they are. The next berry is for himself, but he'll give Dextera one more, at least.]
They remind me of you. Not just the tulips. Flowers do.
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they’re together. ]
Why?
[ an honest question, without guile. ]
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Now, what's a not embarrassing way to say that Dextera blossoms with love and brightens everyone's day.]
They just do.
[Thanks, that's helpful. But Guren thinks on it a moment longer, and relents.]
They make people happy and relaxed. It's... something beautiful growing even in harsher conditions.
[He's looking away, now, trying to hide how gay that was.]
Plus, you cried over grass that one time.
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