My name is Alealani, and I work at the Magnus Institute, in artifact storage!
I heard we were making official institute blogs, so I thought I'd join in. Tumblr is fun :3
You can use she/they pronouns for me, and idc what gender terms you use.
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OOC:
Alealani is an AU version of @erik-lovman-tma
Here is a link list of all plot-relevant RP chains, regularly updated.
*Edited: Alealani is a transmasc egg, so ooc refer to them with any pronouns instead of just she/they.
Please check out the other blog if you're interested in the extended lore of this one, since this blog is functionally an extension of @erik-lovman-tma's lore and will be used for story purposes later.
This blog won't be advertised over there for lore reasons. Also it'll be fun to see fans of Erik come across Alealani organically!! Like a secret DLC.
"What is The Consumption?" (+and what happens if you try to fight it?)
Here is Alealani's picrew concept/faceclaim since I am faceblind and cannot draw accurate features.
The left image is how they looked when they first joined the institute, and the right is how they'll start to look later on as they grow into their own identity.
Edit: Actually I updated the "after" image to fit more with Alealani's established preferences. Consider this an even later "after" image for when Alealani goes back and decides which parts of their old self they actually like, and the old one a sort of middle stage.
I don't have art of Alealani yet, but I will eventually.
Please specify which season you'd like to speak to! I'll probably have a better idea of how I want them to act the earlier in the story it is.
They technically do have a "canon" universe, but you can interact as either someone from their universe or a different one.
Tags:
"#alealani tma oc" = general character tag
"#alea types" = in-character posts
"#ooc" = out of character posts
"#self-crossover" = anything to do with the London Fog AU
It had gotten dark in London. Something of a breeze blew through the streets, which were lit by the various artificial lights of the city. It was an unremarkable evening, by all accounts - some were coming home from work, some were out enjoying the night, and some were among friends or family.
Noah... was probably among that last group? He wasn't quite sure anymore. He'd enjoyed the previous few hours with Alealani - their 'hangout' at the cafe and the impromptu grocery shopping that followed had both been nice - but he wasn't quite sure if they had done those things as friends or...
Either way, it was probably too late to ask now. Things had taken a turn for the awkward after he passed up a chance to kiss her, which - oblivious as he was - Noxie didn't know about. Now they were in Alealani's flat. With them having finished putting away the groceries, Noxie returned to the hallway, getting ready to leave.
Alealani saw Noah approach the door and panicked a little. The words left her mouth before she had time to think.
"Uh- wait! Do you still want to, uhm, eat the fruit, or... I mean, I bought it, so I'd like to share it still."
She couldn't meet his eyes.
As she tried to calm her anxiety, she reasoned that trying to cut through the awkwardness now had a greater chance of success than waiting for another day. They wouldn't have to start from square one. They could just... try to bring back the mood from earlier.
He turned back to face Alealani - doing his best not to seem surprised, and only falling slightly. He assumed they didn't want to talk anymore, but... they asked him to stay? Hell, she seemed rather keen on him doing so-
"Right!" He responded, realising he was thinking in real time. "I- almost forgot, I did. Let's... yeah, let's try it!"
Hesitating for a moment, decided to take off his jacket. He didn't know how long he was gonna be staying there, and it seemed rude to keep it on the whole time. As he looked for a hook to put his jacket on, his gaze turned back to her. "Where should I put my shoes?"
"Just by the door is fine," she gestured dismissively with her hand. Her eyes were back on him now, and they watched his every movement. They hoped they didn't look too much like a predator eyeing its prey.
She wondered if Noah could tell she had just been grasping for an excuse to keep him there. If that's true, should she joke about it to lighten the mood?... No, too much of a gamble.
Alealani decided to stand and go acquire the fruit they'd need to have out if they intended to eat it. It'd be kind of stupid to just sit there. She came back with it and offered an awkward smile as she set it on the table.
She needn't have worried about the former; Noxie didn't really notice how she'd been looking at him while he put his shoes away. As they scrutinised his movements though, they might've seen the slight tremor in his right arm when he was hanging up his coat.
He'd just gotten to the table when Alealani came back with the container of melon. "It... looks good," he awkwardly started. "I, uh. Since you reccomended it, I assume you like honeydew?"
He was kind of just saying words, hoping it'd lead into a conversation. It was currently awkward, of course, but... they wanted him here, right? No way this was just about the fruit. Besides, if it meant him staying a bit longer, he was definitely up for trying.
Alealani did her best to obscure her nervousness with practiced charm. Thankfully, she was good at that. Just fake it till you make it.
...Only, she had a habit of rambling.
"Yeah, it's my favorite! I kind of just like melons in general. Not a big fan of berries. Unless you count bananas- those are technically berries...
"Strawberries aren't though! I don't think blueberries are either. Still lumping them in with the rest of the gross berries for my purposes, regardless."
Noah smiled weakly as he listened, happy to see, or, well, hear she seemed up for casual conversation.
He silently listened to her talk. Partly because he preferred to be quiet, of course, but also because he really liked hearing Alealani's voice. Even after having known them for some time, their accent was just... magnetic, in a way.
Realising she had stopped talking a second or two ago, he responded. "I quite like berries, actually! I guess we're opposites in that regard..." Something that wasn't quite a chuckle left his mouth, though it at least sounded genuine.
"Mm. Well, if I can't convince you of the deliciousness of melons, at the very least, we can share a fruit salad."
She picked up a nice juicy-looking piece of honeydew and held it out near Noah's lips with a smirk. Her earlier comment about a pretty girl hand-feeding him fruit echoed through her mind.
"Suppose so! Though-" He abruptly stopped talking when she did that, but didn't pull back. Blinking a few times, Noah was Very Quickly turning red.
Their earlier comment shot through his mind again, of course it did. "I-" After a moment of silence, he closed his mouth. Then it opened again, as if to say something. Finally, his jaw lowered further, seemingly allowing Alealani to go ahead, as his gaze flickered towards her eyes.
She was making direct eye contact, a mischievous grin forming on her face. Her fingers pushed the fruit into his mouth, and hovered there for a few seconds to wait for any sort of reaction.
If Noah didn't catch the desire that passed through her eyes, he might actually be an idiot.
Once the piece of melon was in his mouth, he grabbed it between his teeth. Noah chewed slowly, maintaining eye contact, and... even he would've been hard-pressed to miss the look in her eyes. Oh goodness. She liked him, didn't she.
He blinked twice as he swallowed, and everything just sort of... clicked. The teasing had been... they'd been flirting with him. With him.
Honeydew being as far from his mind as anything, Alealani ended up getting that reaction she was scanning for. A slight tilt of the head, followed by just about the widest smile they'd seen on him. Surely, a reaction to the amazing fruit she'd given him.
Alealani noticed the giddy expression, and, after momentarily having her own, she gave him an inquisitive look, though still not quite containing her smirk.
"That stupid grin you've got isn't because of the fruit, is it."
His eyebrows furrowed briefly, suddenly turning to a look of realisation. "Oh! No, very much not, no." His face cracked back into that smile he couldn't seem to contain.
He considered something for half a second. A small steadying breath - a look of determination. It was time to ask her. The moment might not last; he'd have to take it before it passed.
"Alealani..."
His tone was inquisitive, but in the moment his expression became unreadable.
Alealani scoffed, then gave Noah a playfully offended shove with one hand. "Oh now you ask me?? Not, I don't know, one of the several times I flirted with you, or when we held hands, or when I waited for you to kiss me??"
She popped a piece of honeydew in her mouth, using the chewing to mask a melodic growl. "You're such a fucking idiot, I swear. Gods, I like em stupid..."
A stupid grin was spreading back across her face. She couldn't make eye contact, just blushed.
"Hey, we've only known eachother for a few weeks, okay! I thought I was reading too much into it, and didn't wanna make things weird..." He sighed, closing his eyes for a moment, but still smiling.
"I have also mentioned my social shortcomings before. First time we met, actually, now that I think about it. And in my defense, you definitely also just got a kick out of teasing me." He accentuated the remark by pointed towards her with a piece of melon he'd picked up, deciding to properly try it out.
"Yes, kiss!!" Alealani blurted out instead of letting themself get nervous about admitting it.
Alealani continued to chastise, "We were having a super romantic moment, and our faces were literally almost touching, and I waited, and nothing! I thought you were rejecting me! I thought I'd read things wrong and you weren't actually interested! Why did you think I was so awkward on the walk home??"
Alealani let out an incredulous huff, like she couldn't believe one man could hold this much social ineptitude.
"In like every movie ever, long, tense, pauses like that are when that happens. You can't tell me you never watched a romcom."
Noxie couldn't help but laugh. From joy, from surprise. From how cute Alealani looked when they grumbled.
It didn't feel real. Every second that passed, he was being pulled away from what was happening, feeling more and more like an observer - and every time he blinked, he snapped back to reality.
"I've seen romcoms!", he said, settling down a bit. "But I didn't see the script in your mind, nor did I hear the music in your ears. I don't know what's going on in there." His non-melon-holding hand came up to tap at her head.
A sly smirk crossed Noah's face. His brain was currently a cocktail of all the happy chemicals, and he felt more confident than he would've ever expected himself to be in a situation like this. "Don't worry, I'll make it up..."
Still gripping the piece of honeydew between two fingers, he carefully placed it in his mouth. Gently holding onto it between his teeth, he let a second pass, if just so they could see what he was doing.
Grabbing onto the hand on his collar, he went in for the kiss.
Alealani giggled from the absurdity of the action, but she used her tongue to scoop the piece of fruit into her mouth, then she got out of her chair to get closer to the kiss.
She ended up sitting sideways in Noah's lap, figuring that full-on straddling him would be a bit much when he was still getting used to the idea that they went on a date. She cupped the side of his face, and kissed him passionately. Her expertise was clearly showing.
Even without a frame of reference, Noah noticed that she was a good kisser. He would've wondered about their past relationships, but was too busy thinking such thoughts as "Oh my goodness, "!!!", and "She's so beautiful..."
One hand moved to hold onto her hind leg by the knee while, the other went around her waist. She wouldn't slide backwards this way, or at least didn't have to support herself while also putting in work for the both of them with the kiss, as... well, it wasn't like Noxie was actively a terrible kisser, but it was also pretty clear it was his first time.
He breathed for a moment. The love in his eyes mirrored the vibrancy of the deep cherry red on his lip, as his gaze was set on Alealani.
"I... was it that obvious?" Through the excitement, a hint of bashfulness prickled through. He averted his eyes for a moment - though he still smiled wide.
"You're... very good at kissing..." His finger came up to see what she'd been wiping at. The sight of blood had his eyebrows raising briefly.
Noah began to settle down a bit. Still excited, but calmer, and with his cheeks slowly getting red again. He was not used to being complimented like this.
"Learning... is good..." he started. "Especially when you have such a pretty teacher..." Hands still occupied with keeping them steady on his lap, Noxie instead held his head against their's for a moment.
Tilting his head slightly, he whispered in her ear. "Is this... real? Is it.... are we... a 'thing'?"
They giggled, the sound melodious and full of endearment. "Yeah, if you'd like to be. I'd like to be. I like you."
She stroked Noah's cheek, humming something to herself. "There are... a few things you should probably know about me, but I want to wait a bit. I hope you'll let me be selfish for a little while until I'm ready."
Hearing her giggle made a warm smile appear on Noah's face. The sound soothed him, and made the butterflies in his stomach flutter en masse. He leaned into their hand, softly pressing it between cheek and shoulder.
"You're not being selfish! Everyone has things they're not immediately comfortable with sharing. Whatever it may be, I'm sure it can wait." He tried giving her a reassuring smile as he spoke, truly believing that whatever it was, he'd still like her just as much.
He pulled back a bit and properly looked into their eyes - his pupils dilated as anything as he continued. "And just for the record, I like you too. A lot."
Alealani broke into a giddy grin again at Noah's reciprocation.
"Cool," she responded, a bit dazed. "U-Uh, but I will say these aren't some... 'oh, I prefer the left side of the bed' type of things. They're like, super important secrets. My dark and mysterious past, and all that. I, uhm, I didn't used to be a good person... Far from it."
She took a deep breath, "So, I just want you to know that I'm not some dream girl. I know I'm like, gorgeous, but I-I come with a lot of baggage. I hope that's okay."
Noxie gave it some real consideration this time. "I... I don't know what you past is like. Beyond the vague and mysterious hints, that is," he said with a slight chuckle, before his face went back to that neutral-ish, considering expression.
"That is to say, I don't know how much I don't know about you. Of course you're not as perfect as you seem. Noone is. But..."
He tilted his head slightly. "Well. You say that 'you didn't use to be a good person', but that does imply that you are one now, no?"
Alealani gave a weak chuckle. "I'd hope so. Sometimes it's hard to break old patterns... but I don't hurt people anymore, at least. I still, um, get kind of manipulative at times, in little ways... Bat my eyelashes and such to get people to do what I want."
She hugged herself as the memories of every time she'd done so much as say "pretty please" all tormented her from the shadows of her mind. In her eyes, any amount of persuasion was a trick coming from her.
"I don't remember, but I've probably done something or other to get you closer to me... I'm sorry."
Noxie saw the worry in Alealani's eyes. The memory too... and regret. She was getting in her own head, that much was clear. He knew they hadn't manipulated him though. That, or he didn't care. Either way...
"Just shut up." Pulling her in, he went to kiss them again.
Being told to shut up had never made Alealani feel so hot and bothered.
A shiver traveled up her spine, and she pressed into the kiss. She'd take things at whatever pace Noah wanted but, damn, having someone forcefully stop her spiral by making out was definitely something she never knew she needed.
A small croon vibrated in her throat, coming off as a purr between their lips.
It had gotten dark in London. Something of a breeze blew through the streets, which were lit by the various artificial lights of the city. It was an unremarkable evening, by all accounts - some were coming home from work, some were out enjoying the night, and some were among friends or family.
Noah... was probably among that last group? He wasn't quite sure anymore. He'd enjoyed the previous few hours with Alealani - their 'hangout' at the cafe and the impromptu grocery shopping that followed had both been nice - but he wasn't quite sure if they had done those things as friends or...
Either way, it was probably too late to ask now. Things had taken a turn for the awkward after he passed up a chance to kiss her, which - oblivious as he was - Noxie didn't know about. Now they were in Alealani's flat. With them having finished putting away the groceries, Noxie returned to the hallway, getting ready to leave.
Alealani saw Noah approach the door and panicked a little. The words left her mouth before she had time to think.
"Uh- wait! Do you still want to, uhm, eat the fruit, or... I mean, I bought it, so I'd like to share it still."
She couldn't meet his eyes.
As she tried to calm her anxiety, she reasoned that trying to cut through the awkwardness now had a greater chance of success than waiting for another day. They wouldn't have to start from square one. They could just... try to bring back the mood from earlier.
He turned back to face Alealani - doing his best not to seem surprised, and only falling slightly. He assumed they didn't want to talk anymore, but... they asked him to stay? Hell, she seemed rather keen on him doing so-
"Right!" He responded, realising he was thinking in real time. "I- almost forgot, I did. Let's... yeah, let's try it!"
Hesitating for a moment, decided to take off his jacket. He didn't know how long he was gonna be staying there, and it seemed rude to keep it on the whole time. As he looked for a hook to put his jacket on, his gaze turned back to her. "Where should I put my shoes?"
"Just by the door is fine," she gestured dismissively with her hand. Her eyes were back on him now, and they watched his every movement. They hoped they didn't look too much like a predator eyeing its prey.
She wondered if Noah could tell she had just been grasping for an excuse to keep him there. If that's true, should she joke about it to lighten the mood?... No, too much of a gamble.
Alealani decided to stand and go acquire the fruit they'd need to have out if they intended to eat it. It'd be kind of stupid to just sit there. She came back with it and offered an awkward smile as she set it on the table.
She needn't have worried about the former; Noxie didn't really notice how she'd been looking at him while he put his shoes away. As they scrutinised his movements though, they might've seen the slight tremor in his right arm when he was hanging up his coat.
He'd just gotten to the table when Alealani came back with the container of melon. "It... looks good," he awkwardly started. "I, uh. Since you reccomended it, I assume you like honeydew?"
He was kind of just saying words, hoping it'd lead into a conversation. It was currently awkward, of course, but... they wanted him here, right? No way this was just about the fruit. Besides, if it meant him staying a bit longer, he was definitely up for trying.
Alealani did her best to obscure her nervousness with practiced charm. Thankfully, she was good at that. Just fake it till you make it.
...Only, she had a habit of rambling.
"Yeah, it's my favorite! I kind of just like melons in general. Not a big fan of berries. Unless you count bananas- those are technically berries...
"Strawberries aren't though! I don't think blueberries are either. Still lumping them in with the rest of the gross berries for my purposes, regardless."
Noah smiled weakly as he listened, happy to see, or, well, hear she seemed up for casual conversation.
He silently listened to her talk. Partly because he preferred to be quiet, of course, but also because he really liked hearing Alealani's voice. Even after having known them for some time, their accent was just... magnetic, in a way.
Realising she had stopped talking a second or two ago, he responded. "I quite like berries, actually! I guess we're opposites in that regard..." Something that wasn't quite a chuckle left his mouth, though it at least sounded genuine.
"Mm. Well, if I can't convince you of the deliciousness of melons, at the very least, we can share a fruit salad."
She picked up a nice juicy-looking piece of honeydew and held it out near Noah's lips with a smirk. Her earlier comment about a pretty girl hand-feeding him fruit echoed through her mind.
"Suppose so! Though-" He abruptly stopped talking when she did that, but didn't pull back. Blinking a few times, Noah was Very Quickly turning red.
Their earlier comment shot through his mind again, of course it did. "I-" After a moment of silence, he closed his mouth. Then it opened again, as if to say something. Finally, his jaw lowered further, seemingly allowing Alealani to go ahead, as his gaze flickered towards her eyes.
She was making direct eye contact, a mischievous grin forming on her face. Her fingers pushed the fruit into his mouth, and hovered there for a few seconds to wait for any sort of reaction.
If Noah didn't catch the desire that passed through her eyes, he might actually be an idiot.
Once the piece of melon was in his mouth, he grabbed it between his teeth. Noah chewed slowly, maintaining eye contact, and... even he would've been hard-pressed to miss the look in her eyes. Oh goodness. She liked him, didn't she.
He blinked twice as he swallowed, and everything just sort of... clicked. The teasing had been... they'd been flirting with him. With him.
Honeydew being as far from his mind as anything, Alealani ended up getting that reaction she was scanning for. A slight tilt of the head, followed by just about the widest smile they'd seen on him. Surely, a reaction to the amazing fruit she'd given him.
Alealani noticed the giddy expression, and, after momentarily having her own, she gave him an inquisitive look, though still not quite containing her smirk.
"That stupid grin you've got isn't because of the fruit, is it."
His eyebrows furrowed briefly, suddenly turning to a look of realisation. "Oh! No, very much not, no." His face cracked back into that smile he couldn't seem to contain.
He considered something for half a second. A small steadying breath - a look of determination. It was time to ask her. The moment might not last; he'd have to take it before it passed.
"Alealani..."
His tone was inquisitive, but in the moment his expression became unreadable.
Alealani scoffed, then gave Noah a playfully offended shove with one hand. "Oh now you ask me?? Not, I don't know, one of the several times I flirted with you, or when we held hands, or when I waited for you to kiss me??"
She popped a piece of honeydew in her mouth, using the chewing to mask a melodic growl. "You're such a fucking idiot, I swear. Gods, I like em stupid..."
A stupid grin was spreading back across her face. She couldn't make eye contact, just blushed.
"Hey, we've only known eachother for a few weeks, okay! I thought I was reading too much into it, and didn't wanna make things weird..." He sighed, closing his eyes for a moment, but still smiling.
"I have also mentioned my social shortcomings before. First time we met, actually, now that I think about it. And in my defense, you definitely also just got a kick out of teasing me." He accentuated the remark by pointed towards her with a piece of melon he'd picked up, deciding to properly try it out.
"Yes, kiss!!" Alealani blurted out instead of letting themself get nervous about admitting it.
Alealani continued to chastise, "We were having a super romantic moment, and our faces were literally almost touching, and I waited, and nothing! I thought you were rejecting me! I thought I'd read things wrong and you weren't actually interested! Why did you think I was so awkward on the walk home??"
Alealani let out an incredulous huff, like she couldn't believe one man could hold this much social ineptitude.
"In like every movie ever, long, tense, pauses like that are when that happens. You can't tell me you never watched a romcom."
Noxie couldn't help but laugh. From joy, from surprise. From how cute Alealani looked when they grumbled.
It didn't feel real. Every second that passed, he was being pulled away from what was happening, feeling more and more like an observer - and every time he blinked, he snapped back to reality.
"I've seen romcoms!", he said, settling down a bit. "But I didn't see the script in your mind, nor did I hear the music in your ears. I don't know what's going on in there." His non-melon-holding hand came up to tap at her head.
A sly smirk crossed Noah's face. His brain was currently a cocktail of all the happy chemicals, and he felt more confident than he would've ever expected himself to be in a situation like this. "Don't worry, I'll make it up..."
Still gripping the piece of honeydew between two fingers, he carefully placed it in his mouth. Gently holding onto it between his teeth, he let a second pass, if just so they could see what he was doing.
Grabbing onto the hand on his collar, he went in for the kiss.
Alealani giggled from the absurdity of the action, but she used her tongue to scoop the piece of fruit into her mouth, then she got out of her chair to get closer to the kiss.
She ended up sitting sideways in Noah's lap, figuring that full-on straddling him would be a bit much when he was still getting used to the idea that they went on a date. She cupped the side of his face, and kissed him passionately. Her expertise was clearly showing.
Even without a frame of reference, Noah noticed that she was a good kisser. He would've wondered about their past relationships, but was too busy thinking such thoughts as "Oh my goodness, "!!!", and "She's so beautiful..."
One hand moved to hold onto her hind leg by the knee while, the other went around her waist. She wouldn't slide backwards this way, or at least didn't have to support herself while also putting in work for the both of them with the kiss, as... well, it wasn't like Noxie was actively a terrible kisser, but it was also pretty clear it was his first time.
He breathed for a moment. The love in his eyes mirrored the vibrancy of the deep cherry red on his lip, as his gaze was set on Alealani.
"I... was it that obvious?" Through the excitement, a hint of bashfulness prickled through. He averted his eyes for a moment - though he still smiled wide.
"You're... very good at kissing..." His finger came up to see what she'd been wiping at. The sight of blood had his eyebrows raising briefly.
Noah began to settle down a bit. Still excited, but calmer, and with his cheeks slowly getting red again. He was not used to being complimented like this.
"Learning... is good..." he started. "Especially when you have such a pretty teacher..." Hands still occupied with keeping them steady on his lap, Noxie instead held his head against their's for a moment.
Tilting his head slightly, he whispered in her ear. "Is this... real? Is it.... are we... a 'thing'?"
They giggled, the sound melodious and full of endearment. "Yeah, if you'd like to be. I'd like to be. I like you."
She stroked Noah's cheek, humming something to herself. "There are... a few things you should probably know about me, but I want to wait a bit. I hope you'll let me be selfish for a little while until I'm ready."
Hearing her giggle made a warm smile appear on Noah's face. The sound soothed him, and made the butterflies in his stomach flutter en masse. He leaned into their hand, softly pressing it between cheek and shoulder.
"You're not being selfish! Everyone has things they're not immediately comfortable with sharing. Whatever it may be, I'm sure it can wait." He tried giving her a reassuring smile as he spoke, truly believing that whatever it was, he'd still like her just as much.
He pulled back a bit and properly looked into their eyes - his pupils dilated as anything as he continued. "And just for the record, I like you too. A lot."
Alealani broke into a giddy grin again at Noah's reciprocation.
"Cool," she responded, a bit dazed. "U-Uh, but I will say these aren't some... 'oh, I prefer the left side of the bed' type of things. They're like, super important secrets. My dark and mysterious past, and all that. I, uhm, I didn't used to be a good person... Far from it."
She took a deep breath, "So, I just want you to know that I'm not some dream girl. I know I'm like, gorgeous, but I-I come with a lot of baggage. I hope that's okay."
Noxie gave it some real consideration this time. "I... I don't know what you past is like. Beyond the vague and mysterious hints, that is," he said with a slight chuckle, before his face went back to that neutral-ish, considering expression.
"That is to say, I don't know how much I don't know about you. Of course you're not as perfect as you seem. Noone is. But..."
He tilted his head slightly. "Well. You say that 'you didn't use to be a good person', but that does imply that you are one now, no?"
Alealani gave a weak chuckle. "I'd hope so. Sometimes it's hard to break old patterns... but I don't hurt people anymore, at least. I still, um, get kind of manipulative at times, in little ways... Bat my eyelashes and such to get people to do what I want."
She hugged herself as the memories of every time she'd done so much as say "pretty please" all tormented her from the shadows of her mind. In her eyes, any amount of persuasion was a trick coming from her.
"I don't remember, but I've probably done something or other to get you closer to me... I'm sorry."
It had gotten dark in London. Something of a breeze blew through the streets, which were lit by the various artificial lights of the city. It was an unremarkable evening, by all accounts - some were coming home from work, some were out enjoying the night, and some were among friends or family.
Noah... was probably among that last group? He wasn't quite sure anymore. He'd enjoyed the previous few hours with Alealani - their 'hangout' at the cafe and the impromptu grocery shopping that followed had both been nice - but he wasn't quite sure if they had done those things as friends or...
Either way, it was probably too late to ask now. Things had taken a turn for the awkward after he passed up a chance to kiss her, which - oblivious as he was - Noxie didn't know about. Now they were in Alealani's flat. With them having finished putting away the groceries, Noxie returned to the hallway, getting ready to leave.
Alealani saw Noah approach the door and panicked a little. The words left her mouth before she had time to think.
"Uh- wait! Do you still want to, uhm, eat the fruit, or... I mean, I bought it, so I'd like to share it still."
She couldn't meet his eyes.
As she tried to calm her anxiety, she reasoned that trying to cut through the awkwardness now had a greater chance of success than waiting for another day. They wouldn't have to start from square one. They could just... try to bring back the mood from earlier.
He turned back to face Alealani - doing his best not to seem surprised, and only falling slightly. He assumed they didn't want to talk anymore, but... they asked him to stay? Hell, she seemed rather keen on him doing so-
"Right!" He responded, realising he was thinking in real time. "I- almost forgot, I did. Let's... yeah, let's try it!"
Hesitating for a moment, decided to take off his jacket. He didn't know how long he was gonna be staying there, and it seemed rude to keep it on the whole time. As he looked for a hook to put his jacket on, his gaze turned back to her. "Where should I put my shoes?"
"Just by the door is fine," she gestured dismissively with her hand. Her eyes were back on him now, and they watched his every movement. They hoped they didn't look too much like a predator eyeing its prey.
She wondered if Noah could tell she had just been grasping for an excuse to keep him there. If that's true, should she joke about it to lighten the mood?... No, too much of a gamble.
Alealani decided to stand and go acquire the fruit they'd need to have out if they intended to eat it. It'd be kind of stupid to just sit there. She came back with it and offered an awkward smile as she set it on the table.
She needn't have worried about the former; Noxie didn't really notice how she'd been looking at him while he put his shoes away. As they scrutinised his movements though, they might've seen the slight tremor in his right arm when he was hanging up his coat.
He'd just gotten to the table when Alealani came back with the container of melon. "It... looks good," he awkwardly started. "I, uh. Since you reccomended it, I assume you like honeydew?"
He was kind of just saying words, hoping it'd lead into a conversation. It was currently awkward, of course, but... they wanted him here, right? No way this was just about the fruit. Besides, if it meant him staying a bit longer, he was definitely up for trying.
Alealani did her best to obscure her nervousness with practiced charm. Thankfully, she was good at that. Just fake it till you make it.
...Only, she had a habit of rambling.
"Yeah, it's my favorite! I kind of just like melons in general. Not a big fan of berries. Unless you count bananas- those are technically berries...
"Strawberries aren't though! I don't think blueberries are either. Still lumping them in with the rest of the gross berries for my purposes, regardless."
Noah smiled weakly as he listened, happy to see, or, well, hear she seemed up for casual conversation.
He silently listened to her talk. Partly because he preferred to be quiet, of course, but also because he really liked hearing Alealani's voice. Even after having known them for some time, their accent was just... magnetic, in a way.
Realising she had stopped talking a second or two ago, he responded. "I quite like berries, actually! I guess we're opposites in that regard..." Something that wasn't quite a chuckle left his mouth, though it at least sounded genuine.
"Mm. Well, if I can't convince you of the deliciousness of melons, at the very least, we can share a fruit salad."
She picked up a nice juicy-looking piece of honeydew and held it out near Noah's lips with a smirk. Her earlier comment about a pretty girl hand-feeding him fruit echoed through her mind.
"Suppose so! Though-" He abruptly stopped talking when she did that, but didn't pull back. Blinking a few times, Noah was Very Quickly turning red.
Their earlier comment shot through his mind again, of course it did. "I-" After a moment of silence, he closed his mouth. Then it opened again, as if to say something. Finally, his jaw lowered further, seemingly allowing Alealani to go ahead, as his gaze flickered towards her eyes.
She was making direct eye contact, a mischievous grin forming on her face. Her fingers pushed the fruit into his mouth, and hovered there for a few seconds to wait for any sort of reaction.
If Noah didn't catch the desire that passed through her eyes, he might actually be an idiot.
Once the piece of melon was in his mouth, he grabbed it between his teeth. Noah chewed slowly, maintaining eye contact, and... even he would've been hard-pressed to miss the look in her eyes. Oh goodness. She liked him, didn't she.
He blinked twice as he swallowed, and everything just sort of... clicked. The teasing had been... they'd been flirting with him. With him.
Honeydew being as far from his mind as anything, Alealani ended up getting that reaction she was scanning for. A slight tilt of the head, followed by just about the widest smile they'd seen on him. Surely, a reaction to the amazing fruit she'd given him.
Alealani noticed the giddy expression, and, after momentarily having her own, she gave him an inquisitive look, though still not quite containing her smirk.
"That stupid grin you've got isn't because of the fruit, is it."
His eyebrows furrowed briefly, suddenly turning to a look of realisation. "Oh! No, very much not, no." His face cracked back into that smile he couldn't seem to contain.
He considered something for half a second. A small steadying breath - a look of determination. It was time to ask her. The moment might not last; he'd have to take it before it passed.
"Alealani..."
His tone was inquisitive, but in the moment his expression became unreadable.
Alealani scoffed, then gave Noah a playfully offended shove with one hand. "Oh now you ask me?? Not, I don't know, one of the several times I flirted with you, or when we held hands, or when I waited for you to kiss me??"
She popped a piece of honeydew in her mouth, using the chewing to mask a melodic growl. "You're such a fucking idiot, I swear. Gods, I like em stupid..."
A stupid grin was spreading back across her face. She couldn't make eye contact, just blushed.
"Hey, we've only known eachother for a few weeks, okay! I thought I was reading too much into it, and didn't wanna make things weird..." He sighed, closing his eyes for a moment, but still smiling.
"I have also mentioned my social shortcomings before. First time we met, actually, now that I think about it. And in my defense, you definitely also just got a kick out of teasing me." He accentuated the remark by pointed towards her with a piece of melon he'd picked up, deciding to properly try it out.
"Yes, kiss!!" Alealani blurted out instead of letting themself get nervous about admitting it.
Alealani continued to chastise, "We were having a super romantic moment, and our faces were literally almost touching, and I waited, and nothing! I thought you were rejecting me! I thought I'd read things wrong and you weren't actually interested! Why did you think I was so awkward on the walk home??"
Alealani let out an incredulous huff, like she couldn't believe one man could hold this much social ineptitude.
"In like every movie ever, long, tense, pauses like that are when that happens. You can't tell me you never watched a romcom."
Noxie couldn't help but laugh. From joy, from surprise. From how cute Alealani looked when they grumbled.
It didn't feel real. Every second that passed, he was being pulled away from what was happening, feeling more and more like an observer - and every time he blinked, he snapped back to reality.
"I've seen romcoms!", he said, settling down a bit. "But I didn't see the script in your mind, nor did I hear the music in your ears. I don't know what's going on in there." His non-melon-holding hand came up to tap at her head.
A sly smirk crossed Noah's face. His brain was currently a cocktail of all the happy chemicals, and he felt more confident than he would've ever expected himself to be in a situation like this. "Don't worry, I'll make it up..."
Still gripping the piece of honeydew between two fingers, he carefully placed it in his mouth. Gently holding onto it between his teeth, he let a second pass, if just so they could see what he was doing.
Grabbing onto the hand on his collar, he went in for the kiss.
Alealani giggled from the absurdity of the action, but she used her tongue to scoop the piece of fruit into her mouth, then she got out of her chair to get closer to the kiss.
She ended up sitting sideways in Noah's lap, figuring that full-on straddling him would be a bit much when he was still getting used to the idea that they went on a date. She cupped the side of his face, and kissed him passionately. Her expertise was clearly showing.
Even without a frame of reference, Noah noticed that she was a good kisser. He would've wondered about their past relationships, but was too busy thinking such thoughts as "Oh my goodness, "!!!", and "She's so beautiful..."
One hand moved to hold onto her hind leg by the knee while, the other went around her waist. She wouldn't slide backwards this way, or at least didn't have to support herself while also putting in work for the both of them with the kiss, as... well, it wasn't like Noxie was actively a terrible kisser, but it was also pretty clear it was his first time.
He breathed for a moment. The love in his eyes mirrored the vibrancy of the deep cherry red on his lip, as his gaze was set on Alealani.
"I... was it that obvious?" Through the excitement, a hint of bashfulness prickled through. He averted his eyes for a moment - though he still smiled wide.
"You're... very good at kissing..." His finger came up to see what she'd been wiping at. The sight of blood had his eyebrows raising briefly.
Noah began to settle down a bit. Still excited, but calmer, and with his cheeks slowly getting red again. He was not used to being complimented like this.
"Learning... is good..." he started. "Especially when you have such a pretty teacher..." Hands still occupied with keeping them steady on his lap, Noxie instead held his head against their's for a moment.
Tilting his head slightly, he whispered in her ear. "Is this... real? Is it.... are we... a 'thing'?"
They giggled, the sound melodious and full of endearment. "Yeah, if you'd like to be. I'd like to be. I like you."
She stroked Noah's cheek, humming something to herself. "There are... a few things you should probably know about me, but I want to wait a bit. I hope you'll let me be selfish for a little while until I'm ready."
Hearing her giggle made a warm smile appear on Noah's face. The sound soothed him, and made the butterflies in his stomach flutter en masse. He leaned into their hand, softly pressing it between cheek and shoulder.
"You're not being selfish! Everyone has things they're not immediately comfortable with sharing. Whatever it may be, I'm sure it can wait." He tried giving her a reassuring smile as he spoke, truly believing that whatever it was, he'd still like her just as much.
He pulled back a bit and properly looked into their eyes - his pupils dilated as anything as he continued. "And just for the record, I like you too. A lot."
Alealani broke into a giddy grin again at Noah's reciprocation.
"Cool," she responded, a bit dazed. "U-Uh, but I will say these aren't some... 'oh, I prefer the left side of the bed' type of things. They're like, super important secrets. My dark and mysterious past, and all that. I, uhm, I didn't used to be a good person... Far from it."
She took a deep breath, "So, I just want you to know that I'm not some dream girl. I know I'm like, gorgeous, but I-I come with a lot of baggage. I hope that's okay."
Noxie gave it some real consideration this time. "I... I don't know what you past is like. Beyond the vague and mysterious hints, that is," he said with a slight chuckle, before his face went back to that neutral-ish, considering expression.
"That is to say, I don't know how much I don't know about you. Of course you're not as perfect as you seem. Noone is. But..."
He tilted his head slightly. "Well. You say that 'you didn't use to be a good person', but that does imply that you are one now, no?"
Alealani gave a weak chuckle. "I'd hope so. Sometimes it's hard to break old patterns... but I don't hurt people anymore, at least. I still, um, get kind of manipulative at times, in little ways... Bat my eyelashes and such to get people to do what I want."
She hugged herself as the memories of every time she'd done so much as say "pretty please" all tormented her from the shadows of her mind. In her eyes, any amount of persuasion was a trick coming from her.
"I don't remember, but I've probably done something or other to get you closer to me... I'm sorry."
It had gotten dark in London. Something of a breeze blew through the streets, which were lit by the various artificial lights of the city. It was an unremarkable evening, by all accounts - some were coming home from work, some were out enjoying the night, and some were among friends or family.
Noah... was probably among that last group? He wasn't quite sure anymore. He'd enjoyed the previous few hours with Alealani - their 'hangout' at the cafe and the impromptu grocery shopping that followed had both been nice - but he wasn't quite sure if they had done those things as friends or...
Either way, it was probably too late to ask now. Things had taken a turn for the awkward after he passed up a chance to kiss her, which - oblivious as he was - Noxie didn't know about. Now they were in Alealani's flat. With them having finished putting away the groceries, Noxie returned to the hallway, getting ready to leave.
Alealani saw Noah approach the door and panicked a little. The words left her mouth before she had time to think.
"Uh- wait! Do you still want to, uhm, eat the fruit, or... I mean, I bought it, so I'd like to share it still."
She couldn't meet his eyes.
As she tried to calm her anxiety, she reasoned that trying to cut through the awkwardness now had a greater chance of success than waiting for another day. They wouldn't have to start from square one. They could just... try to bring back the mood from earlier.
He turned back to face Alealani - doing his best not to seem surprised, and only falling slightly. He assumed they didn't want to talk anymore, but... they asked him to stay? Hell, she seemed rather keen on him doing so-
"Right!" He responded, realising he was thinking in real time. "I- almost forgot, I did. Let's... yeah, let's try it!"
Hesitating for a moment, decided to take off his jacket. He didn't know how long he was gonna be staying there, and it seemed rude to keep it on the whole time. As he looked for a hook to put his jacket on, his gaze turned back to her. "Where should I put my shoes?"
"Just by the door is fine," she gestured dismissively with her hand. Her eyes were back on him now, and they watched his every movement. They hoped they didn't look too much like a predator eyeing its prey.
She wondered if Noah could tell she had just been grasping for an excuse to keep him there. If that's true, should she joke about it to lighten the mood?... No, too much of a gamble.
Alealani decided to stand and go acquire the fruit they'd need to have out if they intended to eat it. It'd be kind of stupid to just sit there. She came back with it and offered an awkward smile as she set it on the table.
She needn't have worried about the former; Noxie didn't really notice how she'd been looking at him while he put his shoes away. As they scrutinised his movements though, they might've seen the slight tremor in his right arm when he was hanging up his coat.
He'd just gotten to the table when Alealani came back with the container of melon. "It... looks good," he awkwardly started. "I, uh. Since you reccomended it, I assume you like honeydew?"
He was kind of just saying words, hoping it'd lead into a conversation. It was currently awkward, of course, but... they wanted him here, right? No way this was just about the fruit. Besides, if it meant him staying a bit longer, he was definitely up for trying.
Alealani did her best to obscure her nervousness with practiced charm. Thankfully, she was good at that. Just fake it till you make it.
...Only, she had a habit of rambling.
"Yeah, it's my favorite! I kind of just like melons in general. Not a big fan of berries. Unless you count bananas- those are technically berries...
"Strawberries aren't though! I don't think blueberries are either. Still lumping them in with the rest of the gross berries for my purposes, regardless."
Noah smiled weakly as he listened, happy to see, or, well, hear she seemed up for casual conversation.
He silently listened to her talk. Partly because he preferred to be quiet, of course, but also because he really liked hearing Alealani's voice. Even after having known them for some time, their accent was just... magnetic, in a way.
Realising she had stopped talking a second or two ago, he responded. "I quite like berries, actually! I guess we're opposites in that regard..." Something that wasn't quite a chuckle left his mouth, though it at least sounded genuine.
"Mm. Well, if I can't convince you of the deliciousness of melons, at the very least, we can share a fruit salad."
She picked up a nice juicy-looking piece of honeydew and held it out near Noah's lips with a smirk. Her earlier comment about a pretty girl hand-feeding him fruit echoed through her mind.
"Suppose so! Though-" He abruptly stopped talking when she did that, but didn't pull back. Blinking a few times, Noah was Very Quickly turning red.
Their earlier comment shot through his mind again, of course it did. "I-" After a moment of silence, he closed his mouth. Then it opened again, as if to say something. Finally, his jaw lowered further, seemingly allowing Alealani to go ahead, as his gaze flickered towards her eyes.
She was making direct eye contact, a mischievous grin forming on her face. Her fingers pushed the fruit into his mouth, and hovered there for a few seconds to wait for any sort of reaction.
If Noah didn't catch the desire that passed through her eyes, he might actually be an idiot.
Once the piece of melon was in his mouth, he grabbed it between his teeth. Noah chewed slowly, maintaining eye contact, and... even he would've been hard-pressed to miss the look in her eyes. Oh goodness. She liked him, didn't she.
He blinked twice as he swallowed, and everything just sort of... clicked. The teasing had been... they'd been flirting with him. With him.
Honeydew being as far from his mind as anything, Alealani ended up getting that reaction she was scanning for. A slight tilt of the head, followed by just about the widest smile they'd seen on him. Surely, a reaction to the amazing fruit she'd given him.
Alealani noticed the giddy expression, and, after momentarily having her own, she gave him an inquisitive look, though still not quite containing her smirk.
"That stupid grin you've got isn't because of the fruit, is it."
His eyebrows furrowed briefly, suddenly turning to a look of realisation. "Oh! No, very much not, no." His face cracked back into that smile he couldn't seem to contain.
He considered something for half a second. A small steadying breath - a look of determination. It was time to ask her. The moment might not last; he'd have to take it before it passed.
"Alealani..."
His tone was inquisitive, but in the moment his expression became unreadable.
Alealani scoffed, then gave Noah a playfully offended shove with one hand. "Oh now you ask me?? Not, I don't know, one of the several times I flirted with you, or when we held hands, or when I waited for you to kiss me??"
She popped a piece of honeydew in her mouth, using the chewing to mask a melodic growl. "You're such a fucking idiot, I swear. Gods, I like em stupid..."
A stupid grin was spreading back across her face. She couldn't make eye contact, just blushed.
"Hey, we've only known eachother for a few weeks, okay! I thought I was reading too much into it, and didn't wanna make things weird..." He sighed, closing his eyes for a moment, but still smiling.
"I have also mentioned my social shortcomings before. First time we met, actually, now that I think about it. And in my defense, you definitely also just got a kick out of teasing me." He accentuated the remark by pointed towards her with a piece of melon he'd picked up, deciding to properly try it out.
"Yes, kiss!!" Alealani blurted out instead of letting themself get nervous about admitting it.
Alealani continued to chastise, "We were having a super romantic moment, and our faces were literally almost touching, and I waited, and nothing! I thought you were rejecting me! I thought I'd read things wrong and you weren't actually interested! Why did you think I was so awkward on the walk home??"
Alealani let out an incredulous huff, like she couldn't believe one man could hold this much social ineptitude.
"In like every movie ever, long, tense, pauses like that are when that happens. You can't tell me you never watched a romcom."
Noxie couldn't help but laugh. From joy, from surprise. From how cute Alealani looked when they grumbled.
It didn't feel real. Every second that passed, he was being pulled away from what was happening, feeling more and more like an observer - and every time he blinked, he snapped back to reality.
"I've seen romcoms!", he said, settling down a bit. "But I didn't see the script in your mind, nor did I hear the music in your ears. I don't know what's going on in there." His non-melon-holding hand came up to tap at her head.
A sly smirk crossed Noah's face. His brain was currently a cocktail of all the happy chemicals, and he felt more confident than he would've ever expected himself to be in a situation like this. "Don't worry, I'll make it up..."
Still gripping the piece of honeydew between two fingers, he carefully placed it in his mouth. Gently holding onto it between his teeth, he let a second pass, if just so they could see what he was doing.
Grabbing onto the hand on his collar, he went in for the kiss.
Alealani giggled from the absurdity of the action, but she used her tongue to scoop the piece of fruit into her mouth, then she got out of her chair to get closer to the kiss.
She ended up sitting sideways in Noah's lap, figuring that full-on straddling him would be a bit much when he was still getting used to the idea that they went on a date. She cupped the side of his face, and kissed him passionately. Her expertise was clearly showing.
Even without a frame of reference, Noah noticed that she was a good kisser. He would've wondered about their past relationships, but was too busy thinking such thoughts as "Oh my goodness, "!!!", and "She's so beautiful..."
One hand moved to hold onto her hind leg by the knee while, the other went around her waist. She wouldn't slide backwards this way, or at least didn't have to support herself while also putting in work for the both of them with the kiss, as... well, it wasn't like Noxie was actively a terrible kisser, but it was also pretty clear it was his first time.
He breathed for a moment. The love in his eyes mirrored the vibrancy of the deep cherry red on his lip, as his gaze was set on Alealani.
"I... was it that obvious?" Through the excitement, a hint of bashfulness prickled through. He averted his eyes for a moment - though he still smiled wide.
"You're... very good at kissing..." His finger came up to see what she'd been wiping at. The sight of blood had his eyebrows raising briefly.
Noah began to settle down a bit. Still excited, but calmer, and with his cheeks slowly getting red again. He was not used to being complimented like this.
"Learning... is good..." he started. "Especially when you have such a pretty teacher..." Hands still occupied with keeping them steady on his lap, Noxie instead held his head against their's for a moment.
Tilting his head slightly, he whispered in her ear. "Is this... real? Is it.... are we... a 'thing'?"
They giggled, the sound melodious and full of endearment. "Yeah, if you'd like to be. I'd like to be. I like you."
She stroked Noah's cheek, humming something to herself. "There are... a few things you should probably know about me, but I want to wait a bit. I hope you'll let me be selfish for a little while until I'm ready."
Hearing her giggle made a warm smile appear on Noah's face. The sound soothed him, and made the butterflies in his stomach flutter en masse. He leaned into their hand, softly pressing it between cheek and shoulder.
"You're not being selfish! Everyone has things they're not immediately comfortable with sharing. Whatever it may be, I'm sure it can wait." He tried giving her a reassuring smile as he spoke, truly believing that whatever it was, he'd still like her just as much.
He pulled back a bit and properly looked into their eyes - his pupils dilated as anything as he continued. "And just for the record, I like you too. A lot."
Alealani broke into a giddy grin again at Noah's reciprocation.
"Cool," she responded, a bit dazed. "U-Uh, but I will say these aren't some... 'oh, I prefer the left side of the bed' type of things. They're like, super important secrets. My dark and mysterious past, and all that. I, uhm, I didn't used to be a good person... Far from it."
She took a deep breath, "So, I just want you to know that I'm not some dream girl. I know I'm like, gorgeous, but I-I come with a lot of baggage. I hope that's okay."
It had gotten dark in London. Something of a breeze blew through the streets, which were lit by the various artificial lights of the city. It was an unremarkable evening, by all accounts - some were coming home from work, some were out enjoying the night, and some were among friends or family.
Noah... was probably among that last group? He wasn't quite sure anymore. He'd enjoyed the previous few hours with Alealani - their 'hangout' at the cafe and the impromptu grocery shopping that followed had both been nice - but he wasn't quite sure if they had done those things as friends or...
Either way, it was probably too late to ask now. Things had taken a turn for the awkward after he passed up a chance to kiss her, which - oblivious as he was - Noxie didn't know about. Now they were in Alealani's flat. With them having finished putting away the groceries, Noxie returned to the hallway, getting ready to leave.
Alealani saw Noah approach the door and panicked a little. The words left her mouth before she had time to think.
"Uh- wait! Do you still want to, uhm, eat the fruit, or... I mean, I bought it, so I'd like to share it still."
She couldn't meet his eyes.
As she tried to calm her anxiety, she reasoned that trying to cut through the awkwardness now had a greater chance of success than waiting for another day. They wouldn't have to start from square one. They could just... try to bring back the mood from earlier.
He turned back to face Alealani - doing his best not to seem surprised, and only falling slightly. He assumed they didn't want to talk anymore, but... they asked him to stay? Hell, she seemed rather keen on him doing so-
"Right!" He responded, realising he was thinking in real time. "I- almost forgot, I did. Let's... yeah, let's try it!"
Hesitating for a moment, decided to take off his jacket. He didn't know how long he was gonna be staying there, and it seemed rude to keep it on the whole time. As he looked for a hook to put his jacket on, his gaze turned back to her. "Where should I put my shoes?"
"Just by the door is fine," she gestured dismissively with her hand. Her eyes were back on him now, and they watched his every movement. They hoped they didn't look too much like a predator eyeing its prey.
She wondered if Noah could tell she had just been grasping for an excuse to keep him there. If that's true, should she joke about it to lighten the mood?... No, too much of a gamble.
Alealani decided to stand and go acquire the fruit they'd need to have out if they intended to eat it. It'd be kind of stupid to just sit there. She came back with it and offered an awkward smile as she set it on the table.
She needn't have worried about the former; Noxie didn't really notice how she'd been looking at him while he put his shoes away. As they scrutinised his movements though, they might've seen the slight tremor in his right arm when he was hanging up his coat.
He'd just gotten to the table when Alealani came back with the container of melon. "It... looks good," he awkwardly started. "I, uh. Since you reccomended it, I assume you like honeydew?"
He was kind of just saying words, hoping it'd lead into a conversation. It was currently awkward, of course, but... they wanted him here, right? No way this was just about the fruit. Besides, if it meant him staying a bit longer, he was definitely up for trying.
Alealani did her best to obscure her nervousness with practiced charm. Thankfully, she was good at that. Just fake it till you make it.
...Only, she had a habit of rambling.
"Yeah, it's my favorite! I kind of just like melons in general. Not a big fan of berries. Unless you count bananas- those are technically berries...
"Strawberries aren't though! I don't think blueberries are either. Still lumping them in with the rest of the gross berries for my purposes, regardless."
Noah smiled weakly as he listened, happy to see, or, well, hear she seemed up for casual conversation.
He silently listened to her talk. Partly because he preferred to be quiet, of course, but also because he really liked hearing Alealani's voice. Even after having known them for some time, their accent was just... magnetic, in a way.
Realising she had stopped talking a second or two ago, he responded. "I quite like berries, actually! I guess we're opposites in that regard..." Something that wasn't quite a chuckle left his mouth, though it at least sounded genuine.
"Mm. Well, if I can't convince you of the deliciousness of melons, at the very least, we can share a fruit salad."
She picked up a nice juicy-looking piece of honeydew and held it out near Noah's lips with a smirk. Her earlier comment about a pretty girl hand-feeding him fruit echoed through her mind.
"Suppose so! Though-" He abruptly stopped talking when she did that, but didn't pull back. Blinking a few times, Noah was Very Quickly turning red.
Their earlier comment shot through his mind again, of course it did. "I-" After a moment of silence, he closed his mouth. Then it opened again, as if to say something. Finally, his jaw lowered further, seemingly allowing Alealani to go ahead, as his gaze flickered towards her eyes.
She was making direct eye contact, a mischievous grin forming on her face. Her fingers pushed the fruit into his mouth, and hovered there for a few seconds to wait for any sort of reaction.
If Noah didn't catch the desire that passed through her eyes, he might actually be an idiot.
Once the piece of melon was in his mouth, he grabbed it between his teeth. Noah chewed slowly, maintaining eye contact, and... even he would've been hard-pressed to miss the look in her eyes. Oh goodness. She liked him, didn't she.
He blinked twice as he swallowed, and everything just sort of... clicked. The teasing had been... they'd been flirting with him. With him.
Honeydew being as far from his mind as anything, Alealani ended up getting that reaction she was scanning for. A slight tilt of the head, followed by just about the widest smile they'd seen on him. Surely, a reaction to the amazing fruit she'd given him.
Alealani noticed the giddy expression, and, after momentarily having her own, she gave him an inquisitive look, though still not quite containing her smirk.
"That stupid grin you've got isn't because of the fruit, is it."
His eyebrows furrowed briefly, suddenly turning to a look of realisation. "Oh! No, very much not, no." His face cracked back into that smile he couldn't seem to contain.
He considered something for half a second. A small steadying breath - a look of determination. It was time to ask her. The moment might not last; he'd have to take it before it passed.
"Alealani..."
His tone was inquisitive, but in the moment his expression became unreadable.
Alealani scoffed, then gave Noah a playfully offended shove with one hand. "Oh now you ask me?? Not, I don't know, one of the several times I flirted with you, or when we held hands, or when I waited for you to kiss me??"
She popped a piece of honeydew in her mouth, using the chewing to mask a melodic growl. "You're such a fucking idiot, I swear. Gods, I like em stupid..."
A stupid grin was spreading back across her face. She couldn't make eye contact, just blushed.
"Hey, we've only known eachother for a few weeks, okay! I thought I was reading too much into it, and didn't wanna make things weird..." He sighed, closing his eyes for a moment, but still smiling.
"I have also mentioned my social shortcomings before. First time we met, actually, now that I think about it. And in my defense, you definitely also just got a kick out of teasing me." He accentuated the remark by pointed towards her with a piece of melon he'd picked up, deciding to properly try it out.
"Yes, kiss!!" Alealani blurted out instead of letting themself get nervous about admitting it.
Alealani continued to chastise, "We were having a super romantic moment, and our faces were literally almost touching, and I waited, and nothing! I thought you were rejecting me! I thought I'd read things wrong and you weren't actually interested! Why did you think I was so awkward on the walk home??"
Alealani let out an incredulous huff, like she couldn't believe one man could hold this much social ineptitude.
"In like every movie ever, long, tense, pauses like that are when that happens. You can't tell me you never watched a romcom."
Noxie couldn't help but laugh. From joy, from surprise. From how cute Alealani looked when they grumbled.
It didn't feel real. Every second that passed, he was being pulled away from what was happening, feeling more and more like an observer - and every time he blinked, he snapped back to reality.
"I've seen romcoms!", he said, settling down a bit. "But I didn't see the script in your mind, nor did I hear the music in your ears. I don't know what's going on in there." His non-melon-holding hand came up to tap at her head.
A sly smirk crossed Noah's face. His brain was currently a cocktail of all the happy chemicals, and he felt more confident than he would've ever expected himself to be in a situation like this. "Don't worry, I'll make it up..."
Still gripping the piece of honeydew between two fingers, he carefully placed it in his mouth. Gently holding onto it between his teeth, he let a second pass, if just so they could see what he was doing.
Grabbing onto the hand on his collar, he went in for the kiss.
Alealani giggled from the absurdity of the action, but she used her tongue to scoop the piece of fruit into her mouth, then she got out of her chair to get closer to the kiss.
She ended up sitting sideways in Noah's lap, figuring that full-on straddling him would be a bit much when he was still getting used to the idea that they went on a date. She cupped the side of his face, and kissed him passionately. Her expertise was clearly showing.
Even without a frame of reference, Noah noticed that she was a good kisser. He would've wondered about their past relationships, but was too busy thinking such thoughts as "Oh my goodness, "!!!", and "She's so beautiful..."
One hand moved to hold onto her hind leg by the knee while, the other went around her waist. She wouldn't slide backwards this way, or at least didn't have to support herself while also putting in work for the both of them with the kiss, as... well, it wasn't like Noxie was actively a terrible kisser, but it was also pretty clear it was his first time.
He breathed for a moment. The love in his eyes mirrored the vibrancy of the deep cherry red on his lip, as his gaze was set on Alealani.
"I... was it that obvious?" Through the excitement, a hint of bashfulness prickled through. He averted his eyes for a moment - though he still smiled wide.
"You're... very good at kissing..." His finger came up to see what she'd been wiping at. The sight of blood had his eyebrows raising briefly.
Noah began to settle down a bit. Still excited, but calmer, and with his cheeks slowly getting red again. He was not used to being complimented like this.
"Learning... is good..." he started. "Especially when you have such a pretty teacher..." Hands still occupied with keeping them steady on his lap, Noxie instead held his head against their's for a moment.
Tilting his head slightly, he whispered in her ear. "Is this... real? Is it.... are we... a 'thing'?"
They giggled, the sound melodious and full of endearment. "Yeah, if you'd like to be. I'd like to be. I like you."
She stroked Noah's cheek, humming something to herself. "There are... a few things you should probably know about me, but I want to wait a bit. I hope you'll let me be selfish for a little while until I'm ready."
It had gotten dark in London. Something of a breeze blew through the streets, which were lit by the various artificial lights of the city. It was an unremarkable evening, by all accounts - some were coming home from work, some were out enjoying the night, and some were among friends or family.
Noah... was probably among that last group? He wasn't quite sure anymore. He'd enjoyed the previous few hours with Alealani - their 'hangout' at the cafe and the impromptu grocery shopping that followed had both been nice - but he wasn't quite sure if they had done those things as friends or...
Either way, it was probably too late to ask now. Things had taken a turn for the awkward after he passed up a chance to kiss her, which - oblivious as he was - Noxie didn't know about. Now they were in Alealani's flat. With them having finished putting away the groceries, Noxie returned to the hallway, getting ready to leave.
Alealani saw Noah approach the door and panicked a little. The words left her mouth before she had time to think.
"Uh- wait! Do you still want to, uhm, eat the fruit, or... I mean, I bought it, so I'd like to share it still."
She couldn't meet his eyes.
As she tried to calm her anxiety, she reasoned that trying to cut through the awkwardness now had a greater chance of success than waiting for another day. They wouldn't have to start from square one. They could just... try to bring back the mood from earlier.
He turned back to face Alealani - doing his best not to seem surprised, and only falling slightly. He assumed they didn't want to talk anymore, but... they asked him to stay? Hell, she seemed rather keen on him doing so-
"Right!" He responded, realising he was thinking in real time. "I- almost forgot, I did. Let's... yeah, let's try it!"
Hesitating for a moment, decided to take off his jacket. He didn't know how long he was gonna be staying there, and it seemed rude to keep it on the whole time. As he looked for a hook to put his jacket on, his gaze turned back to her. "Where should I put my shoes?"
"Just by the door is fine," she gestured dismissively with her hand. Her eyes were back on him now, and they watched his every movement. They hoped they didn't look too much like a predator eyeing its prey.
She wondered if Noah could tell she had just been grasping for an excuse to keep him there. If that's true, should she joke about it to lighten the mood?... No, too much of a gamble.
Alealani decided to stand and go acquire the fruit they'd need to have out if they intended to eat it. It'd be kind of stupid to just sit there. She came back with it and offered an awkward smile as she set it on the table.
She needn't have worried about the former; Noxie didn't really notice how she'd been looking at him while he put his shoes away. As they scrutinised his movements though, they might've seen the slight tremor in his right arm when he was hanging up his coat.
He'd just gotten to the table when Alealani came back with the container of melon. "It... looks good," he awkwardly started. "I, uh. Since you reccomended it, I assume you like honeydew?"
He was kind of just saying words, hoping it'd lead into a conversation. It was currently awkward, of course, but... they wanted him here, right? No way this was just about the fruit. Besides, if it meant him staying a bit longer, he was definitely up for trying.
Alealani did her best to obscure her nervousness with practiced charm. Thankfully, she was good at that. Just fake it till you make it.
...Only, she had a habit of rambling.
"Yeah, it's my favorite! I kind of just like melons in general. Not a big fan of berries. Unless you count bananas- those are technically berries...
"Strawberries aren't though! I don't think blueberries are either. Still lumping them in with the rest of the gross berries for my purposes, regardless."
Noah smiled weakly as he listened, happy to see, or, well, hear she seemed up for casual conversation.
He silently listened to her talk. Partly because he preferred to be quiet, of course, but also because he really liked hearing Alealani's voice. Even after having known them for some time, their accent was just... magnetic, in a way.
Realising she had stopped talking a second or two ago, he responded. "I quite like berries, actually! I guess we're opposites in that regard..." Something that wasn't quite a chuckle left his mouth, though it at least sounded genuine.
"Mm. Well, if I can't convince you of the deliciousness of melons, at the very least, we can share a fruit salad."
She picked up a nice juicy-looking piece of honeydew and held it out near Noah's lips with a smirk. Her earlier comment about a pretty girl hand-feeding him fruit echoed through her mind.
"Suppose so! Though-" He abruptly stopped talking when she did that, but didn't pull back. Blinking a few times, Noah was Very Quickly turning red.
Their earlier comment shot through his mind again, of course it did. "I-" After a moment of silence, he closed his mouth. Then it opened again, as if to say something. Finally, his jaw lowered further, seemingly allowing Alealani to go ahead, as his gaze flickered towards her eyes.
She was making direct eye contact, a mischievous grin forming on her face. Her fingers pushed the fruit into his mouth, and hovered there for a few seconds to wait for any sort of reaction.
If Noah didn't catch the desire that passed through her eyes, he might actually be an idiot.
Once the piece of melon was in his mouth, he grabbed it between his teeth. Noah chewed slowly, maintaining eye contact, and... even he would've been hard-pressed to miss the look in her eyes. Oh goodness. She liked him, didn't she.
He blinked twice as he swallowed, and everything just sort of... clicked. The teasing had been... they'd been flirting with him. With him.
Honeydew being as far from his mind as anything, Alealani ended up getting that reaction she was scanning for. A slight tilt of the head, followed by just about the widest smile they'd seen on him. Surely, a reaction to the amazing fruit she'd given him.
Alealani noticed the giddy expression, and, after momentarily having her own, she gave him an inquisitive look, though still not quite containing her smirk.
"That stupid grin you've got isn't because of the fruit, is it."
His eyebrows furrowed briefly, suddenly turning to a look of realisation. "Oh! No, very much not, no." His face cracked back into that smile he couldn't seem to contain.
He considered something for half a second. A small steadying breath - a look of determination. It was time to ask her. The moment might not last; he'd have to take it before it passed.
"Alealani..."
His tone was inquisitive, but in the moment his expression became unreadable.
Alealani scoffed, then gave Noah a playfully offended shove with one hand. "Oh now you ask me?? Not, I don't know, one of the several times I flirted with you, or when we held hands, or when I waited for you to kiss me??"
She popped a piece of honeydew in her mouth, using the chewing to mask a melodic growl. "You're such a fucking idiot, I swear. Gods, I like em stupid..."
A stupid grin was spreading back across her face. She couldn't make eye contact, just blushed.
"Hey, we've only known eachother for a few weeks, okay! I thought I was reading too much into it, and didn't wanna make things weird..." He sighed, closing his eyes for a moment, but still smiling.
"I have also mentioned my social shortcomings before. First time we met, actually, now that I think about it. And in my defense, you definitely also just got a kick out of teasing me." He accentuated the remark by pointed towards her with a piece of melon he'd picked up, deciding to properly try it out.
"Yes, kiss!!" Alealani blurted out instead of letting themself get nervous about admitting it.
Alealani continued to chastise, "We were having a super romantic moment, and our faces were literally almost touching, and I waited, and nothing! I thought you were rejecting me! I thought I'd read things wrong and you weren't actually interested! Why did you think I was so awkward on the walk home??"
Alealani let out an incredulous huff, like she couldn't believe one man could hold this much social ineptitude.
"In like every movie ever, long, tense, pauses like that are when that happens. You can't tell me you never watched a romcom."
Noxie couldn't help but laugh. From joy, from surprise. From how cute Alealani looked when they grumbled.
It didn't feel real. Every second that passed, he was being pulled away from what was happening, feeling more and more like an observer - and every time he blinked, he snapped back to reality.
"I've seen romcoms!", he said, settling down a bit. "But I didn't see the script in your mind, nor did I hear the music in your ears. I don't know what's going on in there." His non-melon-holding hand came up to tap at her head.
A sly smirk crossed Noah's face. His brain was currently a cocktail of all the happy chemicals, and he felt more confident than he would've ever expected himself to be in a situation like this. "Don't worry, I'll make it up..."
Still gripping the piece of honeydew between two fingers, he carefully placed it in his mouth. Gently holding onto it between his teeth, he let a second pass, if just so they could see what he was doing.
Grabbing onto the hand on his collar, he went in for the kiss.
Alealani giggled from the absurdity of the action, but she used her tongue to scoop the piece of fruit into her mouth, then she got out of her chair to get closer to the kiss.
She ended up sitting sideways in Noah's lap, figuring that full-on straddling him would be a bit much when he was still getting used to the idea that they went on a date. She cupped the side of his face, and kissed him passionately. Her expertise was clearly showing.
Even without a frame of reference, Noah noticed that she was a good kisser. He would've wondered about their past relationships, but was too busy thinking such thoughts as "Oh my goodness, "!!!", and "She's so beautiful..."
One hand moved to hold onto her hind leg by the knee while, the other went around her waist. She wouldn't slide backwards this way, or at least didn't have to support herself while also putting in work for the both of them with the kiss, as... well, it wasn't like Noxie was actively a terrible kisser, but it was also pretty clear it was his first time.
He breathed for a moment. The love in his eyes mirrored the vibrancy of the deep cherry red on his lip, as his gaze was set on Alealani.
"I... was it that obvious?" Through the excitement, a hint of bashfulness prickled through. He averted his eyes for a moment - though he still smiled wide.
"You're... very good at kissing..." His finger came up to see what she'd been wiping at. The sight of blood had his eyebrows raising briefly.
It had gotten dark in London. Something of a breeze blew through the streets, which were lit by the various artificial lights of the city. It was an unremarkable evening, by all accounts - some were coming home from work, some were out enjoying the night, and some were among friends or family.
Noah... was probably among that last group? He wasn't quite sure anymore. He'd enjoyed the previous few hours with Alealani - their 'hangout' at the cafe and the impromptu grocery shopping that followed had both been nice - but he wasn't quite sure if they had done those things as friends or...
Either way, it was probably too late to ask now. Things had taken a turn for the awkward after he passed up a chance to kiss her, which - oblivious as he was - Noxie didn't know about. Now they were in Alealani's flat. With them having finished putting away the groceries, Noxie returned to the hallway, getting ready to leave.
Alealani saw Noah approach the door and panicked a little. The words left her mouth before she had time to think.
"Uh- wait! Do you still want to, uhm, eat the fruit, or... I mean, I bought it, so I'd like to share it still."
She couldn't meet his eyes.
As she tried to calm her anxiety, she reasoned that trying to cut through the awkwardness now had a greater chance of success than waiting for another day. They wouldn't have to start from square one. They could just... try to bring back the mood from earlier.
He turned back to face Alealani - doing his best not to seem surprised, and only falling slightly. He assumed they didn't want to talk anymore, but... they asked him to stay? Hell, she seemed rather keen on him doing so-
"Right!" He responded, realising he was thinking in real time. "I- almost forgot, I did. Let's... yeah, let's try it!"
Hesitating for a moment, decided to take off his jacket. He didn't know how long he was gonna be staying there, and it seemed rude to keep it on the whole time. As he looked for a hook to put his jacket on, his gaze turned back to her. "Where should I put my shoes?"
"Just by the door is fine," she gestured dismissively with her hand. Her eyes were back on him now, and they watched his every movement. They hoped they didn't look too much like a predator eyeing its prey.
She wondered if Noah could tell she had just been grasping for an excuse to keep him there. If that's true, should she joke about it to lighten the mood?... No, too much of a gamble.
Alealani decided to stand and go acquire the fruit they'd need to have out if they intended to eat it. It'd be kind of stupid to just sit there. She came back with it and offered an awkward smile as she set it on the table.
She needn't have worried about the former; Noxie didn't really notice how she'd been looking at him while he put his shoes away. As they scrutinised his movements though, they might've seen the slight tremor in his right arm when he was hanging up his coat.
He'd just gotten to the table when Alealani came back with the container of melon. "It... looks good," he awkwardly started. "I, uh. Since you reccomended it, I assume you like honeydew?"
He was kind of just saying words, hoping it'd lead into a conversation. It was currently awkward, of course, but... they wanted him here, right? No way this was just about the fruit. Besides, if it meant him staying a bit longer, he was definitely up for trying.
Alealani did her best to obscure her nervousness with practiced charm. Thankfully, she was good at that. Just fake it till you make it.
...Only, she had a habit of rambling.
"Yeah, it's my favorite! I kind of just like melons in general. Not a big fan of berries. Unless you count bananas- those are technically berries...
"Strawberries aren't though! I don't think blueberries are either. Still lumping them in with the rest of the gross berries for my purposes, regardless."
Noah smiled weakly as he listened, happy to see, or, well, hear she seemed up for casual conversation.
He silently listened to her talk. Partly because he preferred to be quiet, of course, but also because he really liked hearing Alealani's voice. Even after having known them for some time, their accent was just... magnetic, in a way.
Realising she had stopped talking a second or two ago, he responded. "I quite like berries, actually! I guess we're opposites in that regard..." Something that wasn't quite a chuckle left his mouth, though it at least sounded genuine.
"Mm. Well, if I can't convince you of the deliciousness of melons, at the very least, we can share a fruit salad."
She picked up a nice juicy-looking piece of honeydew and held it out near Noah's lips with a smirk. Her earlier comment about a pretty girl hand-feeding him fruit echoed through her mind.
"Suppose so! Though-" He abruptly stopped talking when she did that, but didn't pull back. Blinking a few times, Noah was Very Quickly turning red.
Their earlier comment shot through his mind again, of course it did. "I-" After a moment of silence, he closed his mouth. Then it opened again, as if to say something. Finally, his jaw lowered further, seemingly allowing Alealani to go ahead, as his gaze flickered towards her eyes.
She was making direct eye contact, a mischievous grin forming on her face. Her fingers pushed the fruit into his mouth, and hovered there for a few seconds to wait for any sort of reaction.
If Noah didn't catch the desire that passed through her eyes, he might actually be an idiot.
Once the piece of melon was in his mouth, he grabbed it between his teeth. Noah chewed slowly, maintaining eye contact, and... even he would've been hard-pressed to miss the look in her eyes. Oh goodness. She liked him, didn't she.
He blinked twice as he swallowed, and everything just sort of... clicked. The teasing had been... they'd been flirting with him. With him.
Honeydew being as far from his mind as anything, Alealani ended up getting that reaction she was scanning for. A slight tilt of the head, followed by just about the widest smile they'd seen on him. Surely, a reaction to the amazing fruit she'd given him.
Alealani noticed the giddy expression, and, after momentarily having her own, she gave him an inquisitive look, though still not quite containing her smirk.
"That stupid grin you've got isn't because of the fruit, is it."
His eyebrows furrowed briefly, suddenly turning to a look of realisation. "Oh! No, very much not, no." His face cracked back into that smile he couldn't seem to contain.
He considered something for half a second. A small steadying breath - a look of determination. It was time to ask her. The moment might not last; he'd have to take it before it passed.
"Alealani..."
His tone was inquisitive, but in the moment his expression became unreadable.
Alealani scoffed, then gave Noah a playfully offended shove with one hand. "Oh now you ask me?? Not, I don't know, one of the several times I flirted with you, or when we held hands, or when I waited for you to kiss me??"
She popped a piece of honeydew in her mouth, using the chewing to mask a melodic growl. "You're such a fucking idiot, I swear. Gods, I like em stupid..."
A stupid grin was spreading back across her face. She couldn't make eye contact, just blushed.
"Hey, we've only known eachother for a few weeks, okay! I thought I was reading too much into it, and didn't wanna make things weird..." He sighed, closing his eyes for a moment, but still smiling.
"I have also mentioned my social shortcomings before. First time we met, actually, now that I think about it. And in my defense, you definitely also just got a kick out of teasing me." He accentuated the remark by pointed towards her with a piece of melon he'd picked up, deciding to properly try it out.
"Yes, kiss!!" Alealani blurted out instead of letting themself get nervous about admitting it.
Alealani continued to chastise, "We were having a super romantic moment, and our faces were literally almost touching, and I waited, and nothing! I thought you were rejecting me! I thought I'd read things wrong and you weren't actually interested! Why did you think I was so awkward on the walk home??"
Alealani let out an incredulous huff, like she couldn't believe one man could hold this much social ineptitude.
"In like every movie ever, long, tense, pauses like that are when that happens. You can't tell me you never watched a romcom."
Noxie couldn't help but laugh. From joy, from surprise. From how cute Alealani looked when they grumbled.
It didn't feel real. Every second that passed, he was being pulled away from what was happening, feeling more and more like an observer - and every time he blinked, he snapped back to reality.
"I've seen romcoms!", he said, settling down a bit. "But I didn't see the script in your mind, nor did I hear the music in your ears. I don't know what's going on in there." His non-melon-holding hand came up to tap at her head.
A sly smirk crossed Noah's face. His brain was currently a cocktail of all the happy chemicals, and he felt more confident than he would've ever expected himself to be in a situation like this. "Don't worry, I'll make it up..."
Still gripping the piece of honeydew between two fingers, he carefully placed it in his mouth. Gently holding onto it between his teeth, he let a second pass, if just so they could see what he was doing.
Grabbing onto the hand on his collar, he went in for the kiss.
Alealani giggled from the absurdity of the action, but she used her tongue to scoop the piece of fruit into her mouth, then she got out of her chair to get closer to the kiss.
She ended up sitting sideways in Noah's lap, figuring that full-on straddling him would be a bit much when he was still getting used to the idea that they went on a date. She cupped the side of his face, and kissed him passionately. Her expertise was clearly showing.
Even without a frame of reference, Noah noticed that she was a good kisser. He would've wondered about their past relationships, but was too busy thinking such thoughts as "Oh my goodness, "!!!", and "She's so beautiful..."
One hand moved to hold onto her hind leg by the knee while, the other went around her waist. She wouldn't slide backwards this way, or at least didn't have to support herself while also putting in work for the both of them with the kiss, as... well, it wasn't like Noxie was actively a terrible kisser, but it was also pretty clear it was his first time.
It had gotten dark in London. Something of a breeze blew through the streets, which were lit by the various artificial lights of the city. It was an unremarkable evening, by all accounts - some were coming home from work, some were out enjoying the night, and some were among friends or family.
Noah... was probably among that last group? He wasn't quite sure anymore. He'd enjoyed the previous few hours with Alealani - their 'hangout' at the cafe and the impromptu grocery shopping that followed had both been nice - but he wasn't quite sure if they had done those things as friends or...
Either way, it was probably too late to ask now. Things had taken a turn for the awkward after he passed up a chance to kiss her, which - oblivious as he was - Noxie didn't know about. Now they were in Alealani's flat. With them having finished putting away the groceries, Noxie returned to the hallway, getting ready to leave.
Alealani saw Noah approach the door and panicked a little. The words left her mouth before she had time to think.
"Uh- wait! Do you still want to, uhm, eat the fruit, or... I mean, I bought it, so I'd like to share it still."
She couldn't meet his eyes.
As she tried to calm her anxiety, she reasoned that trying to cut through the awkwardness now had a greater chance of success than waiting for another day. They wouldn't have to start from square one. They could just... try to bring back the mood from earlier.
He turned back to face Alealani - doing his best not to seem surprised, and only falling slightly. He assumed they didn't want to talk anymore, but... they asked him to stay? Hell, she seemed rather keen on him doing so-
"Right!" He responded, realising he was thinking in real time. "I- almost forgot, I did. Let's... yeah, let's try it!"
Hesitating for a moment, decided to take off his jacket. He didn't know how long he was gonna be staying there, and it seemed rude to keep it on the whole time. As he looked for a hook to put his jacket on, his gaze turned back to her. "Where should I put my shoes?"
"Just by the door is fine," she gestured dismissively with her hand. Her eyes were back on him now, and they watched his every movement. They hoped they didn't look too much like a predator eyeing its prey.
She wondered if Noah could tell she had just been grasping for an excuse to keep him there. If that's true, should she joke about it to lighten the mood?... No, too much of a gamble.
Alealani decided to stand and go acquire the fruit they'd need to have out if they intended to eat it. It'd be kind of stupid to just sit there. She came back with it and offered an awkward smile as she set it on the table.
She needn't have worried about the former; Noxie didn't really notice how she'd been looking at him while he put his shoes away. As they scrutinised his movements though, they might've seen the slight tremor in his right arm when he was hanging up his coat.
He'd just gotten to the table when Alealani came back with the container of melon. "It... looks good," he awkwardly started. "I, uh. Since you reccomended it, I assume you like honeydew?"
He was kind of just saying words, hoping it'd lead into a conversation. It was currently awkward, of course, but... they wanted him here, right? No way this was just about the fruit. Besides, if it meant him staying a bit longer, he was definitely up for trying.
Alealani did her best to obscure her nervousness with practiced charm. Thankfully, she was good at that. Just fake it till you make it.
...Only, she had a habit of rambling.
"Yeah, it's my favorite! I kind of just like melons in general. Not a big fan of berries. Unless you count bananas- those are technically berries...
"Strawberries aren't though! I don't think blueberries are either. Still lumping them in with the rest of the gross berries for my purposes, regardless."
Noah smiled weakly as he listened, happy to see, or, well, hear she seemed up for casual conversation.
He silently listened to her talk. Partly because he preferred to be quiet, of course, but also because he really liked hearing Alealani's voice. Even after having known them for some time, their accent was just... magnetic, in a way.
Realising she had stopped talking a second or two ago, he responded. "I quite like berries, actually! I guess we're opposites in that regard..." Something that wasn't quite a chuckle left his mouth, though it at least sounded genuine.
"Mm. Well, if I can't convince you of the deliciousness of melons, at the very least, we can share a fruit salad."
She picked up a nice juicy-looking piece of honeydew and held it out near Noah's lips with a smirk. Her earlier comment about a pretty girl hand-feeding him fruit echoed through her mind.
"Suppose so! Though-" He abruptly stopped talking when she did that, but didn't pull back. Blinking a few times, Noah was Very Quickly turning red.
Their earlier comment shot through his mind again, of course it did. "I-" After a moment of silence, he closed his mouth. Then it opened again, as if to say something. Finally, his jaw lowered further, seemingly allowing Alealani to go ahead, as his gaze flickered towards her eyes.
She was making direct eye contact, a mischievous grin forming on her face. Her fingers pushed the fruit into his mouth, and hovered there for a few seconds to wait for any sort of reaction.
If Noah didn't catch the desire that passed through her eyes, he might actually be an idiot.
Once the piece of melon was in his mouth, he grabbed it between his teeth. Noah chewed slowly, maintaining eye contact, and... even he would've been hard-pressed to miss the look in her eyes. Oh goodness. She liked him, didn't she.
He blinked twice as he swallowed, and everything just sort of... clicked. The teasing had been... they'd been flirting with him. With him.
Honeydew being as far from his mind as anything, Alealani ended up getting that reaction she was scanning for. A slight tilt of the head, followed by just about the widest smile they'd seen on him. Surely, a reaction to the amazing fruit she'd given him.
Alealani noticed the giddy expression, and, after momentarily having her own, she gave him an inquisitive look, though still not quite containing her smirk.
"That stupid grin you've got isn't because of the fruit, is it."
His eyebrows furrowed briefly, suddenly turning to a look of realisation. "Oh! No, very much not, no." His face cracked back into that smile he couldn't seem to contain.
He considered something for half a second. A small steadying breath - a look of determination. It was time to ask her. The moment might not last; he'd have to take it before it passed.
"Alealani..."
His tone was inquisitive, but in the moment his expression became unreadable.
Alealani scoffed, then gave Noah a playfully offended shove with one hand. "Oh now you ask me?? Not, I don't know, one of the several times I flirted with you, or when we held hands, or when I waited for you to kiss me??"
She popped a piece of honeydew in her mouth, using the chewing to mask a melodic growl. "You're such a fucking idiot, I swear. Gods, I like em stupid..."
A stupid grin was spreading back across her face. She couldn't make eye contact, just blushed.
"Hey, we've only known eachother for a few weeks, okay! I thought I was reading too much into it, and didn't wanna make things weird..." He sighed, closing his eyes for a moment, but still smiling.
"I have also mentioned my social shortcomings before. First time we met, actually, now that I think about it. And in my defense, you definitely also just got a kick out of teasing me." He accentuated the remark by pointed towards her with a piece of melon he'd picked up, deciding to properly try it out.
"Yes, kiss!!" Alealani blurted out instead of letting themself get nervous about admitting it.
Alealani continued to chastise, "We were having a super romantic moment, and our faces were literally almost touching, and I waited, and nothing! I thought you were rejecting me! I thought I'd read things wrong and you weren't actually interested! Why did you think I was so awkward on the walk home??"
Alealani let out an incredulous huff, like she couldn't believe one man could hold this much social ineptitude.
"In like every movie ever, long, tense, pauses like that are when that happens. You can't tell me you never watched a romcom."
Noxie couldn't help but laugh. From joy, from surprise. From how cute Alealani looked when they grumbled.
It didn't feel real. Every second that passed, he was being pulled away from what was happening, feeling more and more like an observer - and every time he blinked, he snapped back to reality.
"I've seen romcoms!", he said, settling down a bit. "But I didn't see the script in your mind, nor did I hear the music in your ears. I don't know what's going on in there." His non-melon-holding hand came up to tap at her head.
A sly smirk crossed Noah's face. His brain was currently a cocktail of all the happy chemicals, and he felt more confident than he would've ever expected himself to be in a situation like this. "Don't worry, I'll make it up..."
Still gripping the piece of honeydew between two fingers, he carefully placed it in his mouth. Gently holding onto it between his teeth, he let a second pass, if just so they could see what he was doing.
Grabbing onto the hand on his collar, he went in for the kiss.
Alealani giggled from the absurdity of the action, but she used her tongue to scoop the piece of fruit into her mouth, then she got out of her chair to get closer to the kiss.
She ended up sitting sideways in Noah's lap, figuring that full-on straddling him would be a bit much when he was still getting used to the idea that they went on a date. She cupped the side of his face, and kissed him passionately. Her expertise was clearly showing.
It had gotten dark in London. Something of a breeze blew through the streets, which were lit by the various artificial lights of the city. It was an unremarkable evening, by all accounts - some were coming home from work, some were out enjoying the night, and some were among friends or family.
Noah... was probably among that last group? He wasn't quite sure anymore. He'd enjoyed the previous few hours with Alealani - their 'hangout' at the cafe and the impromptu grocery shopping that followed had both been nice - but he wasn't quite sure if they had done those things as friends or...
Either way, it was probably too late to ask now. Things had taken a turn for the awkward after he passed up a chance to kiss her, which - oblivious as he was - Noxie didn't know about. Now they were in Alealani's flat. With them having finished putting away the groceries, Noxie returned to the hallway, getting ready to leave.
Alealani saw Noah approach the door and panicked a little. The words left her mouth before she had time to think.
"Uh- wait! Do you still want to, uhm, eat the fruit, or... I mean, I bought it, so I'd like to share it still."
She couldn't meet his eyes.
As she tried to calm her anxiety, she reasoned that trying to cut through the awkwardness now had a greater chance of success than waiting for another day. They wouldn't have to start from square one. They could just... try to bring back the mood from earlier.
He turned back to face Alealani - doing his best not to seem surprised, and only falling slightly. He assumed they didn't want to talk anymore, but... they asked him to stay? Hell, she seemed rather keen on him doing so-
"Right!" He responded, realising he was thinking in real time. "I- almost forgot, I did. Let's... yeah, let's try it!"
Hesitating for a moment, decided to take off his jacket. He didn't know how long he was gonna be staying there, and it seemed rude to keep it on the whole time. As he looked for a hook to put his jacket on, his gaze turned back to her. "Where should I put my shoes?"
"Just by the door is fine," she gestured dismissively with her hand. Her eyes were back on him now, and they watched his every movement. They hoped they didn't look too much like a predator eyeing its prey.
She wondered if Noah could tell she had just been grasping for an excuse to keep him there. If that's true, should she joke about it to lighten the mood?... No, too much of a gamble.
Alealani decided to stand and go acquire the fruit they'd need to have out if they intended to eat it. It'd be kind of stupid to just sit there. She came back with it and offered an awkward smile as she set it on the table.
She needn't have worried about the former; Noxie didn't really notice how she'd been looking at him while he put his shoes away. As they scrutinised his movements though, they might've seen the slight tremor in his right arm when he was hanging up his coat.
He'd just gotten to the table when Alealani came back with the container of melon. "It... looks good," he awkwardly started. "I, uh. Since you reccomended it, I assume you like honeydew?"
He was kind of just saying words, hoping it'd lead into a conversation. It was currently awkward, of course, but... they wanted him here, right? No way this was just about the fruit. Besides, if it meant him staying a bit longer, he was definitely up for trying.
Alealani did her best to obscure her nervousness with practiced charm. Thankfully, she was good at that. Just fake it till you make it.
...Only, she had a habit of rambling.
"Yeah, it's my favorite! I kind of just like melons in general. Not a big fan of berries. Unless you count bananas- those are technically berries...
"Strawberries aren't though! I don't think blueberries are either. Still lumping them in with the rest of the gross berries for my purposes, regardless."
Noah smiled weakly as he listened, happy to see, or, well, hear she seemed up for casual conversation.
He silently listened to her talk. Partly because he preferred to be quiet, of course, but also because he really liked hearing Alealani's voice. Even after having known them for some time, their accent was just... magnetic, in a way.
Realising she had stopped talking a second or two ago, he responded. "I quite like berries, actually! I guess we're opposites in that regard..." Something that wasn't quite a chuckle left his mouth, though it at least sounded genuine.
"Mm. Well, if I can't convince you of the deliciousness of melons, at the very least, we can share a fruit salad."
She picked up a nice juicy-looking piece of honeydew and held it out near Noah's lips with a smirk. Her earlier comment about a pretty girl hand-feeding him fruit echoed through her mind.
"Suppose so! Though-" He abruptly stopped talking when she did that, but didn't pull back. Blinking a few times, Noah was Very Quickly turning red.
Their earlier comment shot through his mind again, of course it did. "I-" After a moment of silence, he closed his mouth. Then it opened again, as if to say something. Finally, his jaw lowered further, seemingly allowing Alealani to go ahead, as his gaze flickered towards her eyes.
She was making direct eye contact, a mischievous grin forming on her face. Her fingers pushed the fruit into his mouth, and hovered there for a few seconds to wait for any sort of reaction.
If Noah didn't catch the desire that passed through her eyes, he might actually be an idiot.
Once the piece of melon was in his mouth, he grabbed it between his teeth. Noah chewed slowly, maintaining eye contact, and... even he would've been hard-pressed to miss the look in her eyes. Oh goodness. She liked him, didn't she.
He blinked twice as he swallowed, and everything just sort of... clicked. The teasing had been... they'd been flirting with him. With him.
Honeydew being as far from his mind as anything, Alealani ended up getting that reaction she was scanning for. A slight tilt of the head, followed by just about the widest smile they'd seen on him. Surely, a reaction to the amazing fruit she'd given him.
Alealani noticed the giddy expression, and, after momentarily having her own, she gave him an inquisitive look, though still not quite containing her smirk.
"That stupid grin you've got isn't because of the fruit, is it."
His eyebrows furrowed briefly, suddenly turning to a look of realisation. "Oh! No, very much not, no." His face cracked back into that smile he couldn't seem to contain.
He considered something for half a second. A small steadying breath - a look of determination. It was time to ask her. The moment might not last; he'd have to take it before it passed.
"Alealani..."
His tone was inquisitive, but in the moment his expression became unreadable.
Alealani scoffed, then gave Noah a playfully offended shove with one hand. "Oh now you ask me?? Not, I don't know, one of the several times I flirted with you, or when we held hands, or when I waited for you to kiss me??"
She popped a piece of honeydew in her mouth, using the chewing to mask a melodic growl. "You're such a fucking idiot, I swear. Gods, I like em stupid..."
A stupid grin was spreading back across her face. She couldn't make eye contact, just blushed.
"Hey, we've only known eachother for a few weeks, okay! I thought I was reading too much into it, and didn't wanna make things weird..." He sighed, closing his eyes for a moment, but still smiling.
"I have also mentioned my social shortcomings before. First time we met, actually, now that I think about it. And in my defense, you definitely also just got a kick out of teasing me." He accentuated the remark by pointed towards her with a piece of melon he'd picked up, deciding to properly try it out.
"Yes, kiss!!" Alealani blurted out instead of letting themself get nervous about admitting it.
Alealani continued to chastise, "We were having a super romantic moment, and our faces were literally almost touching, and I waited, and nothing! I thought you were rejecting me! I thought I'd read things wrong and you weren't actually interested! Why did you think I was so awkward on the walk home??"
Alealani let out an incredulous huff, like she couldn't believe one man could hold this much social ineptitude.
"In like every movie ever, long, tense, pauses like that are when that happens. You can't tell me you never watched a romcom."
Noxie couldn't help but laugh. From joy, from surprise. From how cute Alealani looked when they grumbled.
It didn't feel real. Every second that passed, he was being pulled away from what was happening, feeling more and more like an observer - and every time he blinked, he snapped back to reality.
"I've seen romcoms!", he said, settling down a bit. "But I didn't see the script in your mind, nor did I hear the music in your ears. I don't know what's going on in there." His non-melon-holding hand came up to tap at her head.
It had gotten dark in London. Something of a breeze blew through the streets, which were lit by the various artificial lights of the city. It was an unremarkable evening, by all accounts - some were coming home from work, some were out enjoying the night, and some were among friends or family.
Noah... was probably among that last group? He wasn't quite sure anymore. He'd enjoyed the previous few hours with Alealani - their 'hangout' at the cafe and the impromptu grocery shopping that followed had both been nice - but he wasn't quite sure if they had done those things as friends or...
Either way, it was probably too late to ask now. Things had taken a turn for the awkward after he passed up a chance to kiss her, which - oblivious as he was - Noxie didn't know about. Now they were in Alealani's flat. With them having finished putting away the groceries, Noxie returned to the hallway, getting ready to leave.
Alealani saw Noah approach the door and panicked a little. The words left her mouth before she had time to think.
"Uh- wait! Do you still want to, uhm, eat the fruit, or... I mean, I bought it, so I'd like to share it still."
She couldn't meet his eyes.
As she tried to calm her anxiety, she reasoned that trying to cut through the awkwardness now had a greater chance of success than waiting for another day. They wouldn't have to start from square one. They could just... try to bring back the mood from earlier.
He turned back to face Alealani - doing his best not to seem surprised, and only falling slightly. He assumed they didn't want to talk anymore, but... they asked him to stay? Hell, she seemed rather keen on him doing so-
"Right!" He responded, realising he was thinking in real time. "I- almost forgot, I did. Let's... yeah, let's try it!"
Hesitating for a moment, decided to take off his jacket. He didn't know how long he was gonna be staying there, and it seemed rude to keep it on the whole time. As he looked for a hook to put his jacket on, his gaze turned back to her. "Where should I put my shoes?"
"Just by the door is fine," she gestured dismissively with her hand. Her eyes were back on him now, and they watched his every movement. They hoped they didn't look too much like a predator eyeing its prey.
She wondered if Noah could tell she had just been grasping for an excuse to keep him there. If that's true, should she joke about it to lighten the mood?... No, too much of a gamble.
Alealani decided to stand and go acquire the fruit they'd need to have out if they intended to eat it. It'd be kind of stupid to just sit there. She came back with it and offered an awkward smile as she set it on the table.
She needn't have worried about the former; Noxie didn't really notice how she'd been looking at him while he put his shoes away. As they scrutinised his movements though, they might've seen the slight tremor in his right arm when he was hanging up his coat.
He'd just gotten to the table when Alealani came back with the container of melon. "It... looks good," he awkwardly started. "I, uh. Since you reccomended it, I assume you like honeydew?"
He was kind of just saying words, hoping it'd lead into a conversation. It was currently awkward, of course, but... they wanted him here, right? No way this was just about the fruit. Besides, if it meant him staying a bit longer, he was definitely up for trying.
Alealani did her best to obscure her nervousness with practiced charm. Thankfully, she was good at that. Just fake it till you make it.
...Only, she had a habit of rambling.
"Yeah, it's my favorite! I kind of just like melons in general. Not a big fan of berries. Unless you count bananas- those are technically berries...
"Strawberries aren't though! I don't think blueberries are either. Still lumping them in with the rest of the gross berries for my purposes, regardless."
Noah smiled weakly as he listened, happy to see, or, well, hear she seemed up for casual conversation.
He silently listened to her talk. Partly because he preferred to be quiet, of course, but also because he really liked hearing Alealani's voice. Even after having known them for some time, their accent was just... magnetic, in a way.
Realising she had stopped talking a second or two ago, he responded. "I quite like berries, actually! I guess we're opposites in that regard..." Something that wasn't quite a chuckle left his mouth, though it at least sounded genuine.
"Mm. Well, if I can't convince you of the deliciousness of melons, at the very least, we can share a fruit salad."
She picked up a nice juicy-looking piece of honeydew and held it out near Noah's lips with a smirk. Her earlier comment about a pretty girl hand-feeding him fruit echoed through her mind.
"Suppose so! Though-" He abruptly stopped talking when she did that, but didn't pull back. Blinking a few times, Noah was Very Quickly turning red.
Their earlier comment shot through his mind again, of course it did. "I-" After a moment of silence, he closed his mouth. Then it opened again, as if to say something. Finally, his jaw lowered further, seemingly allowing Alealani to go ahead, as his gaze flickered towards her eyes.
She was making direct eye contact, a mischievous grin forming on her face. Her fingers pushed the fruit into his mouth, and hovered there for a few seconds to wait for any sort of reaction.
If Noah didn't catch the desire that passed through her eyes, he might actually be an idiot.
Once the piece of melon was in his mouth, he grabbed it between his teeth. Noah chewed slowly, maintaining eye contact, and... even he would've been hard-pressed to miss the look in her eyes. Oh goodness. She liked him, didn't she.
He blinked twice as he swallowed, and everything just sort of... clicked. The teasing had been... they'd been flirting with him. With him.
Honeydew being as far from his mind as anything, Alealani ended up getting that reaction she was scanning for. A slight tilt of the head, followed by just about the widest smile they'd seen on him. Surely, a reaction to the amazing fruit she'd given him.
Alealani noticed the giddy expression, and, after momentarily having her own, she gave him an inquisitive look, though still not quite containing her smirk.
"That stupid grin you've got isn't because of the fruit, is it."
His eyebrows furrowed briefly, suddenly turning to a look of realisation. "Oh! No, very much not, no." His face cracked back into that smile he couldn't seem to contain.
He considered something for half a second. A small steadying breath - a look of determination. It was time to ask her. The moment might not last; he'd have to take it before it passed.
"Alealani..."
His tone was inquisitive, but in the moment his expression became unreadable.
Alealani scoffed, then gave Noah a playfully offended shove with one hand. "Oh now you ask me?? Not, I don't know, one of the several times I flirted with you, or when we held hands, or when I waited for you to kiss me??"
She popped a piece of honeydew in her mouth, using the chewing to mask a melodic growl. "You're such a fucking idiot, I swear. Gods, I like em stupid..."
A stupid grin was spreading back across her face. She couldn't make eye contact, just blushed.
"Hey, we've only known eachother for a few weeks, okay! I thought I was reading too much into it, and didn't wanna make things weird..." He sighed, closing his eyes for a moment, but still smiling.
"I have also mentioned my social shortcomings before. First time we met, actually, now that I think about it. And in my defense, you definitely also just got a kick out of teasing me." He accentuated the remark by pointed towards her with a piece of melon he'd picked up, deciding to properly try it out.
"Yes, kiss!!" Alealani blurted out instead of letting themself get nervous about admitting it.
Alealani continued to chastise, "We were having a super romantic moment, and our faces were literally almost touching, and I waited, and nothing! I thought you were rejecting me! I thought I'd read things wrong and you weren't actually interested! Why did you think I was so awkward on the walk home??"
Alealani let out an incredulous huff, like she couldn't believe one man could hold this much social ineptitude.
"In like every movie ever, long, tense, pauses like that are when that happens. You can't tell me you never watched a romcom."
It had gotten dark in London. Something of a breeze blew through the streets, which were lit by the various artificial lights of the city. It was an unremarkable evening, by all accounts - some were coming home from work, some were out enjoying the night, and some were among friends or family.
Noah... was probably among that last group? He wasn't quite sure anymore. He'd enjoyed the previous few hours with Alealani - their 'hangout' at the cafe and the impromptu grocery shopping that followed had both been nice - but he wasn't quite sure if they had done those things as friends or...
Either way, it was probably too late to ask now. Things had taken a turn for the awkward after he passed up a chance to kiss her, which - oblivious as he was - Noxie didn't know about. Now they were in Alealani's flat. With them having finished putting away the groceries, Noxie returned to the hallway, getting ready to leave.
Alealani saw Noah approach the door and panicked a little. The words left her mouth before she had time to think.
"Uh- wait! Do you still want to, uhm, eat the fruit, or... I mean, I bought it, so I'd like to share it still."
She couldn't meet his eyes.
As she tried to calm her anxiety, she reasoned that trying to cut through the awkwardness now had a greater chance of success than waiting for another day. They wouldn't have to start from square one. They could just... try to bring back the mood from earlier.
He turned back to face Alealani - doing his best not to seem surprised, and only falling slightly. He assumed they didn't want to talk anymore, but... they asked him to stay? Hell, she seemed rather keen on him doing so-
"Right!" He responded, realising he was thinking in real time. "I- almost forgot, I did. Let's... yeah, let's try it!"
Hesitating for a moment, decided to take off his jacket. He didn't know how long he was gonna be staying there, and it seemed rude to keep it on the whole time. As he looked for a hook to put his jacket on, his gaze turned back to her. "Where should I put my shoes?"
"Just by the door is fine," she gestured dismissively with her hand. Her eyes were back on him now, and they watched his every movement. They hoped they didn't look too much like a predator eyeing its prey.
She wondered if Noah could tell she had just been grasping for an excuse to keep him there. If that's true, should she joke about it to lighten the mood?... No, too much of a gamble.
Alealani decided to stand and go acquire the fruit they'd need to have out if they intended to eat it. It'd be kind of stupid to just sit there. She came back with it and offered an awkward smile as she set it on the table.
She needn't have worried about the former; Noxie didn't really notice how she'd been looking at him while he put his shoes away. As they scrutinised his movements though, they might've seen the slight tremor in his right arm when he was hanging up his coat.
He'd just gotten to the table when Alealani came back with the container of melon. "It... looks good," he awkwardly started. "I, uh. Since you reccomended it, I assume you like honeydew?"
He was kind of just saying words, hoping it'd lead into a conversation. It was currently awkward, of course, but... they wanted him here, right? No way this was just about the fruit. Besides, if it meant him staying a bit longer, he was definitely up for trying.
Alealani did her best to obscure her nervousness with practiced charm. Thankfully, she was good at that. Just fake it till you make it.
...Only, she had a habit of rambling.
"Yeah, it's my favorite! I kind of just like melons in general. Not a big fan of berries. Unless you count bananas- those are technically berries...
"Strawberries aren't though! I don't think blueberries are either. Still lumping them in with the rest of the gross berries for my purposes, regardless."
Noah smiled weakly as he listened, happy to see, or, well, hear she seemed up for casual conversation.
He silently listened to her talk. Partly because he preferred to be quiet, of course, but also because he really liked hearing Alealani's voice. Even after having known them for some time, their accent was just... magnetic, in a way.
Realising she had stopped talking a second or two ago, he responded. "I quite like berries, actually! I guess we're opposites in that regard..." Something that wasn't quite a chuckle left his mouth, though it at least sounded genuine.
"Mm. Well, if I can't convince you of the deliciousness of melons, at the very least, we can share a fruit salad."
She picked up a nice juicy-looking piece of honeydew and held it out near Noah's lips with a smirk. Her earlier comment about a pretty girl hand-feeding him fruit echoed through her mind.
"Suppose so! Though-" He abruptly stopped talking when she did that, but didn't pull back. Blinking a few times, Noah was Very Quickly turning red.
Their earlier comment shot through his mind again, of course it did. "I-" After a moment of silence, he closed his mouth. Then it opened again, as if to say something. Finally, his jaw lowered further, seemingly allowing Alealani to go ahead, as his gaze flickered towards her eyes.
She was making direct eye contact, a mischievous grin forming on her face. Her fingers pushed the fruit into his mouth, and hovered there for a few seconds to wait for any sort of reaction.
If Noah didn't catch the desire that passed through her eyes, he might actually be an idiot.
Once the piece of melon was in his mouth, he grabbed it between his teeth. Noah chewed slowly, maintaining eye contact, and... even he would've been hard-pressed to miss the look in her eyes. Oh goodness. She liked him, didn't she.
He blinked twice as he swallowed, and everything just sort of... clicked. The teasing had been... they'd been flirting with him. With him.
Honeydew being as far from his mind as anything, Alealani ended up getting that reaction she was scanning for. A slight tilt of the head, followed by just about the widest smile they'd seen on him. Surely, a reaction to the amazing fruit she'd given him.
Alealani noticed the giddy expression, and, after momentarily having her own, she gave him an inquisitive look, though still not quite containing her smirk.
"That stupid grin you've got isn't because of the fruit, is it."
His eyebrows furrowed briefly, suddenly turning to a look of realisation. "Oh! No, very much not, no." His face cracked back into that smile he couldn't seem to contain.
He considered something for half a second. A small steadying breath - a look of determination. It was time to ask her. The moment might not last; he'd have to take it before it passed.
"Alealani..."
His tone was inquisitive, but in the moment his expression became unreadable.
Alealani scoffed, then gave Noah a playfully offended shove with one hand. "Oh now you ask me?? Not, I don't know, one of the several times I flirted with you, or when we held hands, or when I waited for you to kiss me??"
She popped a piece of honeydew in her mouth, using the chewing to mask a melodic growl. "You're such a fucking idiot, I swear. Gods, I like em stupid..."
A stupid grin was spreading back across her face. She couldn't make eye contact, just blushed.
It had gotten dark in London. Something of a breeze blew through the streets, which were lit by the various artificial lights of the city. It was an unremarkable evening, by all accounts - some were coming home from work, some were out enjoying the night, and some were among friends or family.
Noah... was probably among that last group? He wasn't quite sure anymore. He'd enjoyed the previous few hours with Alealani - their 'hangout' at the cafe and the impromptu grocery shopping that followed had both been nice - but he wasn't quite sure if they had done those things as friends or...
Either way, it was probably too late to ask now. Things had taken a turn for the awkward after he passed up a chance to kiss her, which - oblivious as he was - Noxie didn't know about. Now they were in Alealani's flat. With them having finished putting away the groceries, Noxie returned to the hallway, getting ready to leave.
Alealani saw Noah approach the door and panicked a little. The words left her mouth before she had time to think.
"Uh- wait! Do you still want to, uhm, eat the fruit, or... I mean, I bought it, so I'd like to share it still."
She couldn't meet his eyes.
As she tried to calm her anxiety, she reasoned that trying to cut through the awkwardness now had a greater chance of success than waiting for another day. They wouldn't have to start from square one. They could just... try to bring back the mood from earlier.
He turned back to face Alealani - doing his best not to seem surprised, and only falling slightly. He assumed they didn't want to talk anymore, but... they asked him to stay? Hell, she seemed rather keen on him doing so-
"Right!" He responded, realising he was thinking in real time. "I- almost forgot, I did. Let's... yeah, let's try it!"
Hesitating for a moment, decided to take off his jacket. He didn't know how long he was gonna be staying there, and it seemed rude to keep it on the whole time. As he looked for a hook to put his jacket on, his gaze turned back to her. "Where should I put my shoes?"
"Just by the door is fine," she gestured dismissively with her hand. Her eyes were back on him now, and they watched his every movement. They hoped they didn't look too much like a predator eyeing its prey.
She wondered if Noah could tell she had just been grasping for an excuse to keep him there. If that's true, should she joke about it to lighten the mood?... No, too much of a gamble.
Alealani decided to stand and go acquire the fruit they'd need to have out if they intended to eat it. It'd be kind of stupid to just sit there. She came back with it and offered an awkward smile as she set it on the table.
She needn't have worried about the former; Noxie didn't really notice how she'd been looking at him while he put his shoes away. As they scrutinised his movements though, they might've seen the slight tremor in his right arm when he was hanging up his coat.
He'd just gotten to the table when Alealani came back with the container of melon. "It... looks good," he awkwardly started. "I, uh. Since you reccomended it, I assume you like honeydew?"
He was kind of just saying words, hoping it'd lead into a conversation. It was currently awkward, of course, but... they wanted him here, right? No way this was just about the fruit. Besides, if it meant him staying a bit longer, he was definitely up for trying.
Alealani did her best to obscure her nervousness with practiced charm. Thankfully, she was good at that. Just fake it till you make it.
...Only, she had a habit of rambling.
"Yeah, it's my favorite! I kind of just like melons in general. Not a big fan of berries. Unless you count bananas- those are technically berries...
"Strawberries aren't though! I don't think blueberries are either. Still lumping them in with the rest of the gross berries for my purposes, regardless."
Noah smiled weakly as he listened, happy to see, or, well, hear she seemed up for casual conversation.
He silently listened to her talk. Partly because he preferred to be quiet, of course, but also because he really liked hearing Alealani's voice. Even after having known them for some time, their accent was just... magnetic, in a way.
Realising she had stopped talking a second or two ago, he responded. "I quite like berries, actually! I guess we're opposites in that regard..." Something that wasn't quite a chuckle left his mouth, though it at least sounded genuine.
"Mm. Well, if I can't convince you of the deliciousness of melons, at the very least, we can share a fruit salad."
She picked up a nice juicy-looking piece of honeydew and held it out near Noah's lips with a smirk. Her earlier comment about a pretty girl hand-feeding him fruit echoed through her mind.
"Suppose so! Though-" He abruptly stopped talking when she did that, but didn't pull back. Blinking a few times, Noah was Very Quickly turning red.
Their earlier comment shot through his mind again, of course it did. "I-" After a moment of silence, he closed his mouth. Then it opened again, as if to say something. Finally, his jaw lowered further, seemingly allowing Alealani to go ahead, as his gaze flickered towards her eyes.
She was making direct eye contact, a mischievous grin forming on her face. Her fingers pushed the fruit into his mouth, and hovered there for a few seconds to wait for any sort of reaction.
If Noah didn't catch the desire that passed through her eyes, he might actually be an idiot.
Once the piece of melon was in his mouth, he grabbed it between his teeth. Noah chewed slowly, maintaining eye contact, and... even he would've been hard-pressed to miss the look in her eyes. Oh goodness. She liked him, didn't she.
He blinked twice as he swallowed, and everything just sort of... clicked. The teasing had been... they'd been flirting with him. With him.
Honeydew being as far from his mind as anything, Alealani ended up getting that reaction she was scanning for. A slight tilt of the head, followed by just about the widest smile they'd seen on him. Surely, a reaction to the amazing fruit she'd given him.
Alealani noticed the giddy expression, and, after momentarily having her own, she gave him an inquisitive look, though still not quite containing her smirk.
"That stupid grin you've got isn't because of the fruit, is it."
It had gotten dark in London. Something of a breeze blew through the streets, which were lit by the various artificial lights of the city. It was an unremarkable evening, by all accounts - some were coming home from work, some were out enjoying the night, and some were among friends or family.
Noah... was probably among that last group? He wasn't quite sure anymore. He'd enjoyed the previous few hours with Alealani - their 'hangout' at the cafe and the impromptu grocery shopping that followed had both been nice - but he wasn't quite sure if they had done those things as friends or...
Either way, it was probably too late to ask now. Things had taken a turn for the awkward after he passed up a chance to kiss her, which - oblivious as he was - Noxie didn't know about. Now they were in Alealani's flat. With them having finished putting away the groceries, Noxie returned to the hallway, getting ready to leave.
Alealani saw Noah approach the door and panicked a little. The words left her mouth before she had time to think.
"Uh- wait! Do you still want to, uhm, eat the fruit, or... I mean, I bought it, so I'd like to share it still."
She couldn't meet his eyes.
As she tried to calm her anxiety, she reasoned that trying to cut through the awkwardness now had a greater chance of success than waiting for another day. They wouldn't have to start from square one. They could just... try to bring back the mood from earlier.
He turned back to face Alealani - doing his best not to seem surprised, and only falling slightly. He assumed they didn't want to talk anymore, but... they asked him to stay? Hell, she seemed rather keen on him doing so-
"Right!" He responded, realising he was thinking in real time. "I- almost forgot, I did. Let's... yeah, let's try it!"
Hesitating for a moment, decided to take off his jacket. He didn't know how long he was gonna be staying there, and it seemed rude to keep it on the whole time. As he looked for a hook to put his jacket on, his gaze turned back to her. "Where should I put my shoes?"
"Just by the door is fine," she gestured dismissively with her hand. Her eyes were back on him now, and they watched his every movement. They hoped they didn't look too much like a predator eyeing its prey.
She wondered if Noah could tell she had just been grasping for an excuse to keep him there. If that's true, should she joke about it to lighten the mood?... No, too much of a gamble.
Alealani decided to stand and go acquire the fruit they'd need to have out if they intended to eat it. It'd be kind of stupid to just sit there. She came back with it and offered an awkward smile as she set it on the table.
She needn't have worried about the former; Noxie didn't really notice how she'd been looking at him while he put his shoes away. As they scrutinised his movements though, they might've seen the slight tremor in his right arm when he was hanging up his coat.
He'd just gotten to the table when Alealani came back with the container of melon. "It... looks good," he awkwardly started. "I, uh. Since you reccomended it, I assume you like honeydew?"
He was kind of just saying words, hoping it'd lead into a conversation. It was currently awkward, of course, but... they wanted him here, right? No way this was just about the fruit. Besides, if it meant him staying a bit longer, he was definitely up for trying.
Alealani did her best to obscure her nervousness with practiced charm. Thankfully, she was good at that. Just fake it till you make it.
...Only, she had a habit of rambling.
"Yeah, it's my favorite! I kind of just like melons in general. Not a big fan of berries. Unless you count bananas- those are technically berries...
"Strawberries aren't though! I don't think blueberries are either. Still lumping them in with the rest of the gross berries for my purposes, regardless."
Noah smiled weakly as he listened, happy to see, or, well, hear she seemed up for casual conversation.
He silently listened to her talk. Partly because he preferred to be quiet, of course, but also because he really liked hearing Alealani's voice. Even after having known them for some time, their accent was just... magnetic, in a way.
Realising she had stopped talking a second or two ago, he responded. "I quite like berries, actually! I guess we're opposites in that regard..." Something that wasn't quite a chuckle left his mouth, though it at least sounded genuine.
"Mm. Well, if I can't convince you of the deliciousness of melons, at the very least, we can share a fruit salad."
She picked up a nice juicy-looking piece of honeydew and held it out near Noah's lips with a smirk. Her earlier comment about a pretty girl hand-feeding him fruit echoed through her mind.
"Suppose so! Though-" He abruptly stopped talking when she did that, but didn't pull back. Blinking a few times, Noah was Very Quickly turning red.
Their earlier comment shot through his mind again, of course it did. "I-" After a moment of silence, he closed his mouth. Then it opened again, as if to say something. Finally, his jaw lowered further, seemingly allowing Alealani to go ahead, as his gaze flickered towards her eyes.
She was making direct eye contact, a mischievous grin forming on her face. Her fingers pushed the fruit into his mouth, and hovered there for a few seconds to wait for any sort of reaction.
If Noah didn't catch the desire that passed through her eyes, he might actually be an idiot.
It had gotten dark in London. Something of a breeze blew through the streets, which were lit by the various artificial lights of the city. It was an unremarkable evening, by all accounts - some were coming home from work, some were out enjoying the night, and some were among friends or family.
Noah... was probably among that last group? He wasn't quite sure anymore. He'd enjoyed the previous few hours with Alealani - their 'hangout' at the cafe and the impromptu grocery shopping that followed had both been nice - but he wasn't quite sure if they had done those things as friends or...
Either way, it was probably too late to ask now. Things had taken a turn for the awkward after he passed up a chance to kiss her, which - oblivious as he was - Noxie didn't know about. Now they were in Alealani's flat. With them having finished putting away the groceries, Noxie returned to the hallway, getting ready to leave.
Alealani saw Noah approach the door and panicked a little. The words left her mouth before she had time to think.
"Uh- wait! Do you still want to, uhm, eat the fruit, or... I mean, I bought it, so I'd like to share it still."
She couldn't meet his eyes.
As she tried to calm her anxiety, she reasoned that trying to cut through the awkwardness now had a greater chance of success than waiting for another day. They wouldn't have to start from square one. They could just... try to bring back the mood from earlier.
He turned back to face Alealani - doing his best not to seem surprised, and only falling slightly. He assumed they didn't want to talk anymore, but... they asked him to stay? Hell, she seemed rather keen on him doing so-
"Right!" He responded, realising he was thinking in real time. "I- almost forgot, I did. Let's... yeah, let's try it!"
Hesitating for a moment, decided to take off his jacket. He didn't know how long he was gonna be staying there, and it seemed rude to keep it on the whole time. As he looked for a hook to put his jacket on, his gaze turned back to her. "Where should I put my shoes?"
"Just by the door is fine," she gestured dismissively with her hand. Her eyes were back on him now, and they watched his every movement. They hoped they didn't look too much like a predator eyeing its prey.
She wondered if Noah could tell she had just been grasping for an excuse to keep him there. If that's true, should she joke about it to lighten the mood?... No, too much of a gamble.
Alealani decided to stand and go acquire the fruit they'd need to have out if they intended to eat it. It'd be kind of stupid to just sit there. She came back with it and offered an awkward smile as she set it on the table.
She needn't have worried about the former; Noxie didn't really notice how she'd been looking at him while he put his shoes away. As they scrutinised his movements though, they might've seen the slight tremor in his right arm when he was hanging up his coat.
He'd just gotten to the table when Alealani came back with the container of melon. "It... looks good," he awkwardly started. "I, uh. Since you reccomended it, I assume you like honeydew?"
He was kind of just saying words, hoping it'd lead into a conversation. It was currently awkward, of course, but... they wanted him here, right? No way this was just about the fruit. Besides, if it meant him staying a bit longer, he was definitely up for trying.
Alealani did her best to obscure her nervousness with practiced charm. Thankfully, she was good at that. Just fake it till you make it.
...Only, she had a habit of rambling.
"Yeah, it's my favorite! I kind of just like melons in general. Not a big fan of berries. Unless you count bananas- those are technically berries...
"Strawberries aren't though! I don't think blueberries are either. Still lumping them in with the rest of the gross berries for my purposes, regardless."
Noah smiled weakly as he listened, happy to see, or, well, hear she seemed up for casual conversation.
He silently listened to her talk. Partly because he preferred to be quiet, of course, but also because he really liked hearing Alealani's voice. Even after having known them for some time, their accent was just... magnetic, in a way.
Realising she had stopped talking a second or two ago, he responded. "I quite like berries, actually! I guess we're opposites in that regard..." Something that wasn't quite a chuckle left his mouth, though it at least sounded genuine.
"Mm. Well, if I can't convince you of the deliciousness of melons, at the very least, we can share a fruit salad."
She picked up a nice juicy-looking piece of honeydew and held it out near Noah's lips with a smirk. Her earlier comment about a pretty girl hand-feeding him fruit echoed through her mind.
It had gotten dark in London. Something of a breeze blew through the streets, which were lit by the various artificial lights of the city. It was an unremarkable evening, by all accounts - some were coming home from work, some were out enjoying the night, and some were among friends or family.
Noah... was probably among that last group? He wasn't quite sure anymore. He'd enjoyed the previous few hours with Alealani - their 'hangout' at the cafe and the impromptu grocery shopping that followed had both been nice - but he wasn't quite sure if they had done those things as friends or...
Either way, it was probably too late to ask now. Things had taken a turn for the awkward after he passed up a chance to kiss her, which - oblivious as he was - Noxie didn't know about. Now they were in Alealani's flat. With them having finished putting away the groceries, Noxie returned to the hallway, getting ready to leave.
Alealani saw Noah approach the door and panicked a little. The words left her mouth before she had time to think.
"Uh- wait! Do you still want to, uhm, eat the fruit, or... I mean, I bought it, so I'd like to share it still."
She couldn't meet his eyes.
As she tried to calm her anxiety, she reasoned that trying to cut through the awkwardness now had a greater chance of success than waiting for another day. They wouldn't have to start from square one. They could just... try to bring back the mood from earlier.
He turned back to face Alealani - doing his best not to seem surprised, and only falling slightly. He assumed they didn't want to talk anymore, but... they asked him to stay? Hell, she seemed rather keen on him doing so-
"Right!" He responded, realising he was thinking in real time. "I- almost forgot, I did. Let's... yeah, let's try it!"
Hesitating for a moment, decided to take off his jacket. He didn't know how long he was gonna be staying there, and it seemed rude to keep it on the whole time. As he looked for a hook to put his jacket on, his gaze turned back to her. "Where should I put my shoes?"
"Just by the door is fine," she gestured dismissively with her hand. Her eyes were back on him now, and they watched his every movement. They hoped they didn't look too much like a predator eyeing its prey.
She wondered if Noah could tell she had just been grasping for an excuse to keep him there. If that's true, should she joke about it to lighten the mood?... No, too much of a gamble.
Alealani decided to stand and go acquire the fruit they'd need to have out if they intended to eat it. It'd be kind of stupid to just sit there. She came back with it and offered an awkward smile as she set it on the table.
She needn't have worried about the former; Noxie didn't really notice how she'd been looking at him while he put his shoes away. As they scrutinised his movements though, they might've seen the slight tremor in his right arm when he was hanging up his coat.
He'd just gotten to the table when Alealani came back with the container of melon. "It... looks good," he awkwardly started. "I, uh. Since you reccomended it, I assume you like honeydew?"
He was kind of just saying words, hoping it'd lead into a conversation. It was currently awkward, of course, but... they wanted him here, right? No way this was just about the fruit. Besides, if it meant him staying a bit longer, he was definitely up for trying.
Alealani did her best to obscure her nervousness with practiced charm. Thankfully, she was good at that. Just fake it till you make it.
...Only, she had a habit of rambling.
"Yeah, it's my favorite! I kind of just like melons in general. Not a big fan of berries. Unless you count bananas- those are technically berries...
"Strawberries aren't though! I don't think blueberries are either. Still lumping them in with the rest of the gross berries for my purposes, regardless."
It had gotten dark in London. Something of a breeze blew through the streets, which were lit by the various artificial lights of the city. It was an unremarkable evening, by all accounts - some were coming home from work, some were out enjoying the night, and some were among friends or family.
Noah... was probably among that last group? He wasn't quite sure anymore. He'd enjoyed the previous few hours with Alealani - their 'hangout' at the cafe and the impromptu grocery shopping that followed had both been nice - but he wasn't quite sure if they had done those things as friends or...
Either way, it was probably too late to ask now. Things had taken a turn for the awkward after he passed up a chance to kiss her, which - oblivious as he was - Noxie didn't know about. Now they were in Alealani's flat. With them having finished putting away the groceries, Noxie returned to the hallway, getting ready to leave.
Alealani saw Noah approach the door and panicked a little. The words left her mouth before she had time to think.
"Uh- wait! Do you still want to, uhm, eat the fruit, or... I mean, I bought it, so I'd like to share it still."
She couldn't meet his eyes.
As she tried to calm her anxiety, she reasoned that trying to cut through the awkwardness now had a greater chance of success than waiting for another day. They wouldn't have to start from square one. They could just... try to bring back the mood from earlier.
He turned back to face Alealani - doing his best not to seem surprised, and only falling slightly. He assumed they didn't want to talk anymore, but... they asked him to stay? Hell, she seemed rather keen on him doing so-
"Right!" He responded, realising he was thinking in real time. "I- almost forgot, I did. Let's... yeah, let's try it!"
Hesitating for a moment, decided to take off his jacket. He didn't know how long he was gonna be staying there, and it seemed rude to keep it on the whole time. As he looked for a hook to put his jacket on, his gaze turned back to her. "Where should I put my shoes?"
"Just by the door is fine," she gestured dismissively with her hand. Her eyes were back on him now, and they watched his every movement. They hoped they didn't look too much like a predator eyeing its prey.
She wondered if Noah could tell she had just been grasping for an excuse to keep him there. If that's true, should she joke about it to lighten the mood?... No, too much of a gamble.
Alealani decided to stand and go acquire the fruit they'd need to have out if they intended to eat it. It'd be kind of stupid to just sit there. She came back with it and offered an awkward smile as she set it on the table.
