It was hot and yet when he stood next to Max, Ritsu felt cooler. So, later, when all chores were done and watermelon was eaten, he was sat beside him on the back porch. Hand in hand, cheek on shoulder and leg to leg. It would usually warrant being pushed away, to demand space for the cooler outside to wash away the heat but Ritsu felt blessed here.
The heat didn't hit as hard when he felt the others body against his. If he was any more of a fiend, he would have climbed into their lap, but that's how things heat up too quickly, thus - he remains sat. Lips around ice pop and lashes low. Glasses left inside as he opted instead for a hairband to push his long bangs aside. A sigh from taro-milk pop lips and a nuzzle of his cheek against his boyfriend's shoulder. "How are you so perfectly okay?"
Max's blood was practically laced with sunlight. It was as much a part of his body as water, iron, air. Summer was when he was most alive--and he'd be lying if he said he didn't feel just that little bit cockier in the heat of the summer sun. His hair seemed a bit blonder, his freckles stark against light kissed skin. His golden eyes seemed warmer, like pools of heated honey.
He had a certain power and allure when he basked in the summer sun. And Max was vain enough to exploit it to its fullest. He'd taken up a seat on Ritsu's porch as the afternoon started turning towards early evening. A pale purple button down shirt rested over his shoulders, the front of it hanging open to reveal his freckled chest and belly. His shorts were cut above the knee and hung dangerously low on his waist. His feet were bare as he stretched out languidly.
When Ritsu settled beside him, Max opened his posture just a bit--an invitation for the taking. Bit by bit, the intimacy they'd previously reserved for the bedroom had started trickling into their day-to-day with an ease that Max should've felt put off by. But he was surprisingly pleased with the change--looking forward to seeing which carefully curated walls of their agreement may topple down next.
When the archer took Max's invitation, the demigod carefully moved his arm so that it loosely embraced Ritsu's waist--palm resting on the planks of the porch right against where the other's ass met the wood planks. He tilted his head back, a self-satisfied smile tugging at his lips as he sat in the embrace of this boy and the warm glow of the sun. His eyes drifted sideways, and he hated to admit what that hairband did to him.
"You could have simply stopped at perfect." Max teased. "What can I say? The sun agrees with me." Like the menace he was, he waited until Ritsu took a bite of that ice pop. A thin finger darted out, caught the archer's chin, and turned his face up. Max closed the distance and placed his lips over Ritsu's.
His tongue darted out, dipping between the archer's lips to steal that bite right out of Ritsu's mouth. When he pulled away, he smirked as he savored the cold treat.
Niko knew he had been screwing everything up lately. He could blame it on his half asleep brain or the fact that same brain of his continued to decay day after day, but none of those excuses felt remotely enough to fix things. It wasn't like he wanted to make those excuses anyway. Even though he had asked others for advice on how to fix it, nothing really ended up happening. He still ruined stuff anyway by saying the wrong thing, pushing the one good friend he had away. It wouldn't be a surprise to him if this last meet up was Max telling him they were absolutely done being friends.
The corpse had been so on edge that he had grabbed a different flavor of milkshake than usual, hardly noticing the fact that his drink wasn't even the same color as usual. He barely noticed the pieces of strawberry mixed in either. Even though he was familiar with the routine of buying his milkshake and meeting people at this small park, he was simply... scared—was that the feeling?—of what might happen this time. This park had been a place filled with good memories. He didn't want it to start becoming a painful one.
His unbeating heart felt heavy in his chest when Max moved to sit next to him, a couple feet away as per the usual distance kept between them. Niko honestly hated how far away that distance felt. Normally, he wasn't someone who minded that, but it felt different when he knew Max utterly despised any form of contact with him.
He slightly turned his head towards Max, red eyes fixing onto his friend's profile, listening attentively as he spoke. He took another sip of his strawberry milkshake.
Experiment? His eyebrows rose in confusion as he coughed loudly, barely preventing said milkshake from heading down the wrong pipe.
❝ … What? ❞ he stupidly uttered after swallowing. He let out a couple of coughs to revive his voice.
Niko was definitely open to repairing their relationship, but what did an experiment have to do with it? Wasn't he supposed to be in the wrong and the one trying to make things right for all the badly worded stuff he had said before?
Deciding to humor it anyway, Niko figured he should probably fish for more information. Wiping his lips clean with the back of his free hand, he awkwardly followed up his earlier outburst, ❝ I... don't mind, but, uh, what kind of experiment? ❞ Surely this wasn't a poor excuse of a joke, right?
Max settled onto the bench next to Niko, honey-gold eyes staring down at his feet for a few moments. He let Niko's question hang in the air, collecting tension as he dropped into his own thoughts. He could explain that he'd agonized over a fix to this problem for weeks.
That he'd taken the hurt he'd seen on Niko's face to heart--had felt shitty about being the source of that pain. Admitting it felt like owning up to blame that wasn't his to bear. Max knew that his nature was no more his fault than Niko's was the corpse's. They were both a consequence of traits intrinsic to them: A demigod with the burden of life saving magic, and a corpse twisted into undeath by means that Max could scarcely even fathom.
Max's blond brows creased. This sort of thinking was so far outside of his norm that he was beginning to piss himself off. If he wanted this friendship, blaming anything or anyone for it falling apart was a waste of time. A waste of energy. A waste of thoughts. He would do what he always did: refuse to be denied.
Now the silence had dragged on so long that it was getting awkward. If he was feeling it, god knew what Niko was thinking.
He muttered a quiet 'fuck it'. Explaining the experiment was pointless. All there was to it was to do it, and fix it if he was too weak to accomplish a satisfactory result.
Max scooted over on the bench, closing some of that carefully curated distance. He focused on his breathing--laser sighted on his sense of control. He raised a hand abd dropped it gently atop Niko's head. His power bucked, a slight recoil that was easy enough for Max to ignore. Carefully, he curled his fingers into Niko's hair before giving the dark locks a gentle ruffle. With measured adjustments, Max was able to shut down the last vestiges of his diagnostic power.
He couldn't help the soft laughter.
"Fuck yes. I did it." He declared. "Sorry, calling it an experiment made it sound rather dirty, didn't it?"
It was The Day. After missing it by a mile last year, Reece had done everything he could to make sure Lian's birthday didn't fly by without getting the recognition that it deserved. Searching for a gift had been challenging. Over the last couple of years, their gifts had become meaningful--and deep. Bracelets, dreamcatchers, a wreath all imbued with their individual power. All designed to protect.
Reece didn't wanna do what he'd already done. The gift had to be unique and meaningful. Though Reece had no doubt his partner would appreciate pretty much anything he gifted him. Except maybe weird chicken creatures he'd ripped out of purgatory. Lesson Learned.
It had taken some time, and more thinking than Reece was typically good at, but he'd finally settled on something. It was a question as much as it was a gift. So when Reece appeared in Lian's house without so much as an invitation, his tummy was doing butterfly things.
Seeing the person who'd stolen his heart, Reece took a minute to appreciate Lian--who was simply existing, but bathed in sunlight that made his blond hair look like a halo. This was definitely the right move.
"Happy Birthday, Lian!" Reece said by way of greeting. In one hand, he held two cupcakes, one of them with a candle flickering on top of it. The other was there just so that Reece could eat one too. His other hand held a small, velvet covered case. For a moment, Reece juggled the cupcakes, trying to open the case before realizing he was gonna either set his hair on fire, smudge the case with frosting, or start a house fire. He sat the cupcakes down. For safety.
He popped open the case, and a small, simple band with white gold and yellow gold winding around each other in an intricate coil. Each color meant to signify the two of them.
"It's not quite an engagement ring," Reece hurried to explain before Lian could get too worked up. "But its a promise. After college, and when we're ready, we'll seal this deal. Every time I picture what comes next, it always starts with a Lian at my side. So I wanted some kinda physical something to show where I want us to go--what our future looks like. Um, if that's what you want, too."
UNPROMPTED ┊always accepting.
The day had been mostly quiet outside of a short celebration in the afternoon. If it were the older him, Lian probably would've complained about the day being so mundane, but today, he was grateful for the morning being quiet and the energy being more low-key than anything. Niko and Naoki had set up a small moment for him to blow out candles on a mini cake they all shared, but other than that, it was pretty much having the day to himself. Upon everyone finishing up their slices, Lian had offered to take care of the clean up, insisting Niko go back to sleep since he looked more dead than usual. Naoki had disappeared in the midst of that conversation, but it wasn't like the caladrius expected that guy to help at all.
With the house to himself now, Lian found himself relaxing as he began clearing the table then moved to washing up the plates and cutlery. He hummed a short tune as he scrubbed them, deciding to fully hand wash them rather than put them in the dishwasher. After setting those dishes out to dry, the blond glanced at the slice of vanilla cake he had set aside for Reece at the table. He knew his boyfriend would be visiting soon enough, and it was only right he also have some of the cake too.
Just as he was about to grab his phone off the table to text him, the very person he was thinking about had teleported in out of nowhere. Wow, they really were on the same page when it came to showing up when there was a desire to see each other—Reece being the better of them at it, but still.
A smile stretched on his face at his partner's greeting, Lian unable to hide the joy he felt seeing his favorite person on the planet. He would've gone to hug him right away, but the caladrius immediately noticed the cupcakes in hand and stood where he was by the chair he had been sitting in not that long ago. He couldn't help but find himself nearly chuckling in amusement, eyes brightening as Reece fumbled to set the cupcakes down next to the slice of cake on the table.
He hadn't taken note of the velvet box until Reece had popped it open, and seeing the ring inside nearly made his heart stop, the joy on his face being replaced with surprise. His thoughts screeched to a stop, knowing that it probably wasn't what his initial instinct was saying it was. Still, it was hard to stop expectation from budding in his chest.
A ring was a very... intentional gift. And it wasn't like the old days where he could dismiss the possible intention easily—Reece had been by his side for years now. They were inseparable, always able to lean on each other for support, and the love that swelled in his chest every time they touched wasn't something he could just ignore when he considered what this ring might mean. But maybe that just spoke to how much he wanted it to mean that.
Heart beating loudly in his ears, Lian fought to listen to the explanation behind the gift. The ring was a promise. A promise of the future—his brows furrowed as he let Reece's intentions sink in—but not just any future; it was one where they would be together forever. Heat blossomed on his cheeks and he just knew his mind had went even further down the path he wasn't supposed to be assuming right now. Could he be blamed though? Even if this wasn't an outright proposal... it still technically was one.
And it wasn't like Lian hadn't imagined marrying this person in front of him a million times already.
❝ There's... no way I wouldn't... want that, ❞ he finally muttered with his gaze set on that ring that was honestly too perfect for words, clearly too worked up to get the words out properly. He hid his wavering expression half behind his fingers, uncertain how his muddled mess of feelings might be read.
Forcing himself to get a hold of himself, Lian took an intentional breath in and out, then lowered his hand to carefully take the ring out of the display case. He was careful when looking it over to admire the detailing. Somehow, the ring really felt like the two of them in essence. Was it the colors or the way they coiled around each other harmoniously? Not to mention, it very much felt part of the collection of accessories he was already wearing as tokens of new stages in their relationship thus far.
After a short pause to determine where to place said ring, Lian spread out the fingers on his right hand, and slid the ring onto his ring finger. He rotated his hand to see how it felt, and... it felt right to put it there. It may not be the ring meant to connect to his heart just yet, but it would be a reminder of that ring being something to look forward to. Plus, he'd see it every time he move to interact with something, and he'd be reminded of Reece's promise upon seeing the ring there.
His eyes nearly watered seeing the ring in place and his heart was doing flips in his chest. Was it strange to feel so emotional over this?
Lifting his head to finally meet Reece's expectant gaze, Lian rushed to close the gap and pull Reece into a tight hug. He hid his face in his shoulder, not wanting Reece to take note of how his tear ducts might be brimming with happy tears right now. Hands grabbing at the cloth of his partner's hoodie at the back, the caladrius squeezed him tight, as if to distract him from the tone that may sound he could be tearing up over this.
❝ Of course I want that, Reece, ❞ he spoke more fluidly this time, ❝ of course I want to spend the rest of my life with you. ❞
Weeks of work had gone into arriving at this little meeting. A small park, twilight hours, just a corpse and a healer--two unlikely friends. And even to Max's surprise, he did consider Niko just that. A friend. One of the very few he'd ever allowed to own the title.
The last time they spoke, they'd argued. A rift had formed, and Max wasn't sure how to repair it. Any other time he wouldn't have cared. 'Oh well, that was fun while it lasted'. But he couldn't find it in himself to discard Niko in that same way.
God dammit.
He'd taken to introspection, reflection, trying to discern the root cause of their dispute. It all came back to touch. Max couldn't touch Niko without his power going haywire and sending alarm bells ringing through his head like a five alarm fire. He'd recoiled--some would call it rudely, but for Max it felt like self preservation.
His diagnostic magic had cost him a few too many hook-ups anyways. Nothing killed the mood like the boy you were gonna take home having a tapeworm he doesn't know about...Besides, his powers were still developing. If he found one inconvenient, he simply had to train it. Own it.
"I imagine you're wondering why I called you out," Max said as he approached. He was surprised to find he was relieved Niko had come. Had he been subconsciously worried about being rejected?
"I want to repair this rift between us. Get back to what we were," because I value this friendship. He left it unsaid, because there was no fucking way he was admitting it out loud.
"So I asked you here to participate in an experiment of sorts. There's no risk to you, I just need to test something."
Keith could only fix his gaze on the makeshift craft that resembled a bow and arrow at the sound of that dialogue—or rather a slingshot that might as well replicate that kind of weaponry depending on how someone looked at it. If he angled his point of view a certain way, the bow could absolutely resemble a slingshot more. Still, that was beside the point. The more concerning thing was that nail. Since when were nails that sharp?
Actually, now that he processed the direction that nail was pointed...
Subtly stepping out of line of direct fire of that contraption, Keith glanced back towards Max, half turning his body towards him.
❝ ... Don't tell me you were gonna fire that at me. ❞
He wasn't about to fire it at anyone. Max had been around bows and weapons long enough to know better than to point them at things he wasn't planning to shoot. But Max was also asshole enough to enjoy the mild panic that the idea had caused the other.
Sue him.
"The wall was my target, but you did drift into my line of fire. I wasn't planning to be picky."
He's made an improvised bow. A paperclip bent just so, a rubber band wound tight. He tweaked the tension a bit more, and gave the band a little test twang.
He was late… why? He couldn't find his favourite hoodie.
It was cold, and he liked to wear it under his raincoat and yet, no matter where he looked in his room he couldn't fathom its whereabouts. So, he had to opt for his spare, which didn't feel as comfortable to him, but he sucked it up. Inhaling the irritation for the day to settle with breakfast and getting Rocky ready for his walk.
So, when he walked out of his room with lead in hand - he didn't expect to see it… and him. There, ready - Rocky at his heel waiting for more attention but also just as comfortable.
"You."
A narrowing of eyes… he hated how it made him feel, gooey and warm, a little excited and miffed all at the same time. So, to retaliate, he stepped closer, intention maybe from Max's eyes to take it back, but in all honesty, Ricky moved to cover Rocky's eyes with a hand and promptly kiss Max, stupid hot Max, on the mouth with his mouth and a soft bite to follow upon his retreat.
"Looks good." A sparkle in those eyes, smirk replacing the furrow of brow before, and he leaned back to stand straight again. "Come, boy." Ah, maybe he shouldn't look at Max when making orders for Rocky to lead the way for his walk, huh?
Max raised a finger to point at himself, meeting Ritsu's narrow-eyed glare with a casual smirk of his own--very much the cat who got the cream as he sat there in the hoodie as if it belonged to him.
He watched as Ritsu crossed the room, and Max shoved his hands in the pockets of the hoodie, as if he were prepared to fight Ritsu if he tried to snatch it. He was quite fond of his morning's loot, thank you much.
Besides, he wasn't wearing a shirt under it.
But the attempt never came, and Max was instead met with a kiss. And not just a little peck, but something deeper and a bit needy. Max returned it, eager and excited to the point of chasing the contact a few inches when Ritsu's broke away--very much keen on returning that little nip.
"Oh, I plan to when you come back from walking Rocky. If you're quick, I may even let your participate."
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