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[ He nods his head lightly, more for himself than for Allen. ]

I'm okay.

[ He'd grown used to the light touches to his hands and face, even his neck and shoulders. This was intimate and new. Similar to how he'd first felt when Allen first sat on his lap, and Shouto had to contend with all of him, everywhere all at once. He'd had trouble controlling his quirk ever since. ]

I didn't expect that.

[ He admits more for himself than for Allen. He was used to nudity, their bathes never bothered him, but this was different. Intimate in a way their bathes never got unless he counted that first night he brought him home when Shouto froze and boiled the water all at once and had to lift Allen to the ledge to keep from hurting him while he tried to control his reaction. ]

You... surprised me.

[ Surprised him?

Allen blinks for a moment, like that revelation surprises him, before he laughs. A light, happy kind of sound as the joy bubbles up from the flutters in his stomach, and he reaches out towards Shouto. To touch his cheek warmly, fondly, while smiling wide with his expression lightly flushed.

You see the irony, right? ]

A good kind of surprise? [ just checking ]

[ Properly chastised by the irony of it, Shouto nods silently. ]

A good kind.

[ He admits, cheeks lightly flushed. ]

You don’t usually… help me with my uniform.

[ He smiles more gently at that, expression softening as he watches him. The quiet and almost bashful kind of admittance, and finds something so special about the moment. Something so genuine.]

I like helping you with it. [ There's... a trust and intimacy about it. Similar to when Shouto's helped him undress and dress in the past when he wasn't able to himself, but the energy of this is different. A little electric instead of just calming.

And you should feel good too.

He leans in again, but just to kiss his cheek very softly. ]

I feel even closer to you, when we can do this for each other.

Oh.

[ He blinks, a little surprised by that answer, than the kiss that follows. ]

Did you… find that out, right now?

Edited 2023-04-21 20:13 (UTC)

[ Call him out, why don't you.

Laughing a little sheepishly, Allen ruffles a hand through his a touch self-consciously. Caught offguard. ]

Yeah. [ Ehe. ]

But I like it when you help me with mine too.

Edited 2023-04-21 20:21 (UTC)

[ As he said, you don’t normally help him out of his uniform. As in, he can’t remember a time before this that you did. Given that, it’s not a hard conclusion to come by; plus, he has no filter. You should know this by now, so his next question really should come as no shock. ]

You do?!

[ A little taken back by that answer, Shouto simply stares at him incredulously. ]

I thought you liked doing it yourself.

[ WELL... ]

It's a matter of context, you know! [ He waves his hands a bit. The mood!!! It has to be the right mood!!! ]

[ Still, he does have a point. And even though Allen crinkles his nose lightly at the turn the conversation took, he reaches for his hands more seriously then. Lacing their fingers together gently as his voice drops to something a bit softer and more private. Thoughtful. ]

But... I suppose that shows how comfortable I've become with you. [ He admits it so very softly, but pauses. Trying to find the words to explain something that doesn't fit well within them. ]

...It feels right, when you do. [ No, more than that: ] I want you to.

It feels special.

[ A drop in pitch is all that it takes to keep him from pursuing that line of reasoning. Shouto looks down at their hands. With the thin scars on his palm out of sight, his hand seems smooth and soft in contrast to the red carapace that covers Allen's hand.

His words open up another line of thought, he's only now realizing he'd missed all this time. ]

Were you uncomfortable before?

[ He asks, just as serious, voice taking on the same soft-spoken pitch. There are some things he wants to know, then there are others, he needs to. ]

[ A blink. Uncomfortable? ]

No, not at all! [ It's immediate and very adamant!! Don't you dare go down that route, he'll get the pillow!! ] I've always felt really comfortable around you!

It's just... new, you know?

[ He shakes his head. It's a product of his upbringing. Trained at a young age in solitude, and surrounded by adults who crooned and prodded at him, he grew a thick skin and a bland expression to keep his emotions in check. Few things made him uncomfortable. ]

A good new.

[ He confirms, not turning toward that line of thinking Allen is so afraid of, but uncovering something he never saw before, blinded by his inexperience. ]

Do new things make you uncomfortable?

Edited 2023-04-21 22:23 (UTC)

[ Reaffirming that it's good makes Allen relax a bit again, but the continued line of questioning causes him to look more thoughtfully at Shouto. What is it you're trying to ask about...? ]

It can take a bit to get used to, sometimes. [ He squeezes his hand softly, answering gently but seriously. Voice soft, his eyes downcast a little shyly on their hands. He shifts his fingers quietly against Shouto's, letting them dance together in a soft display of intimacy. ]

But I don't know... it's hard to really explain.

All I know is I'm happy you're the one I get to find out new things with.

Edited 2023-04-21 22:37 (UTC)

New things don't make me uncomfortable. [ He explains, the grip on his fingers going firm. ] I didn't need time to get used to you. I needed time to sort out my feelings for you.

[ He watches him in silence for a moment, then reaches up to nudge his chin up. ]

Sometimes, what you do, doesn't match what you say.

Happy people don't look down.

[ Sometimes you really only hear about 10% of what he says, don't you. And misinterpret another 9% of that.

Allen blinks when his chin gets lifted, surprised, but stares a little at that comment. His nose crinkles up. ]

Sometimes there's a lot on my mind. [ it's. a little snippy. ]

[ That simple then... he was distracted. Somehow, he thought it was more. ]

I see. [ He drops his hand from his chin. ] I thought it was something else.

Edited 2023-04-21 23:19 (UTC)

[ And it's a conversation topic that makes him a little shy to talk about. Though in general... it would be a very accurate observation of him. Just not in this instance. It's complicated.

He huffs a little bit at that, but it's ineffectual and lacks any real irritation, and instead leans in. Arms snaking around his solid middle and mismatched hands skimming along his sides underneath the uniform jacket in a very gentle, discreetly mindful brush of skin to skin, he pulls Shouto back into an embrace as he bows his head to his shoulder. Nosing the collar aside as he drops a kiss to the crook of his neck in a sweet, poignant display of affection he holds for a long and meaningful moment. ]

That's okay.

[ It comes from a place of caring, that observation. He recognizes that. it's part of why I love you. ]

Edited 2023-04-21 23:42 (UTC)

[ It's a conversation topic he's ignorant of that one day he will need to know about. He doesn't come from a Victorian-age society to understand why he shies away, but he's been given an answer, and he leaves it there to digest later.

He's not shy with the way Allen touches him. It's new but not uncomfortable. Sometimes it can be overwhelming, but now that he's cooled down, he can appreciate the difference in the texture of his palms and the poignant kiss filled with affection. ]

Sometimes, I don't understand you, but I think you understand me.

[ He rubs a circle on his lower back with his thumb and forefinger, mindful of the raised skin of his scar. ]

I want to catch up to you.

Edited 2023-04-22 00:02 (UTC)

[ Modern day people can be just as shy about it as him, you know!! Not everyone is a brick wall impervious to shame!! You better believe a modern era Allen would be just as squirrely and prudish as he is. Some things are just part of your nature. If anything, Allen is the anomaly in his own era too... at least among his male acquaintances. More reasons why he tends to get along with girls better and holds them in higher regard.

Allen twists to look up at Shouto thoughtfully at that, his expression gentle, before he shifts and tucks in close and to relax against him. Lulled by the idle pattern he rubs on his back where the shirt hiked up, loosened from before when it took off his vest, he kisses the side of his neck softly in answer. Affectionate and forgiving. ]

I don't feel ahead. [ It's a gentler murmur, a little dreamy as he pillows his head against his collar. ]

All I feel is you here next to me.

[ It's about exposure, and the people he knows shout out to the world that they're a hero while wearing very little spandex in broad daylight. Plus, all the modeling gigs they take on. There are very few shy heroes.

They lock eyes, his neutral expression against Allen's gentle one. You're not the one behind. The moment passes, and Shouto lets go of that thread, letting his hand finally rest on his back. ]

I like you here.

[ His fingers play with the end of his undershirt. ]

That's why I put together the papers, but I don't need you here.

[ A long pause. ]

I want you here.

Edited 2023-04-22 01:18 (UTC)

[ He can guess what that silent look is about, and just smiles softly if a little apologetically in response. He didn't mean it to brush aside his feelings, but... he doesn't know what to say in response to that, either. Other than I don't want you to feel like it's a race or about the destination... and sometimes I feel like I'm the one who needs to catch up with you on some things. But--

If you feel like it is, I'll wait.

He bites the inside of his lip lightly at the admittance though, thoughtfully, as there's a pleasant flutter in his chest. Being wanted, after all, being wanted for yourself and invited a place...

...being wanted and knowing your existence can bring another joy...

Allen sits back up, hips shifting as he straightens and brings his hands up to cup Shouto's face gently. Tipping his chin up ever so slightly as he leans down to kiss him, soft and unhurried. ]

I'm here. [ It's a promise gently whispered into the kiss. His eyes hooded by lashes heavy and white as drifts of snow, and Allen presses another tender kiss to the corner of his mouth. ]

Because what I want... [ Another kiss, sweet and warm, just under his eye as fingers along his jaw lightly encourage Shouto to turn his head just so. The air around them feeling fragile and gentle as his own heart flutters with the butterfly exhilaration. ]

It's you, too.

Edited 2023-04-22 01:54 (UTC)

[ Every moment is a seed that, with proper care, will one day grow into a memory. Every intimate encounter, physical or of the soul, has become a precious memory. A gift he treasures. More than the river that runs through their home or the surrounding woods. He's insistent, in his folly, because he wants to understand how to keep those seeds growing, afraid of watching them go dormant.

The face he finds when looks up is one he cherishes. If he were blind, he'd cherish his voice. This time when they lock eyes, he gets lost in the silver light. Their lips meet, and it feels like a memory born, a tender moment.

I'm here.

Another whispered secret. He can't keep track of them all. This time, he doesn't try to understand. He accepts the gift with humble hands, and as the last whisper finds its way through the haze of their kisses, his fingers grip his hips, not leisurely, but to make their presence known.

I'm here, too.

He turns his head where Allen wants him to without an ounce of resistance. Yielding himself, the way he would never do for another, in a rare show of trust. Not rare for Allen, but anyone else.

His eyes close, against his lips, his heart filling with affection. His skin grows hearted from it, and ice blooms in his blood to keep the balance. ]

I want... [ He says between kisses. ] Can I--

Your shirt?

Edited 2023-04-22 02:56 (UTC)

[ There's a soft and shaky exhale when his fingers tighten on his hips, a little shiver, and Allen kisses him more insistently then. Puts his soul into it as his heart swells and feels a little more complete, understanding that sentiment on the most basic of levels. Acceptance and togetherness. Acknowledgement.

Joy in each other.

His shirt? He nods, a little distracted, but unwillingly to depart as his lips ghost over Shouto's this time. ]

Mm... [ It's a quiet affirmative hum, pressing their lips together like a sweet sort of promise then. Lingering to make the point, remembering the rhythm of their dance before, and feeling how Shouto first heats up and then cools again. It's not a yes, but...

More than that.

He pulls back just enough to look down at him properly then, silver eyes soft and sure as they lock onto his mismatched ones with an almost ethereal kind of calmness. ]

Please.

Edited 2023-04-22 03:21 (UTC)

[ How wonderful it is to be understood. Without words, Shouto reads the heady embrace tempered with affection and promise. They go slow even if their hearts thunder in their chests caught in each other's orbit. Teal and grey meet solid grey.

Please. ]

I want to touch you after like you did with me.

[ He asks, stating his intentions from the start, needing that spoken between after everything that's happened. ]

Edited 2023-04-22 03:39 (UTC)

[ It's such a sweet thing to ask about and even if it isn't surprising, it is touching, bringing a light flush of color to Allen's face. But he smiles in response, small and shy little curve of one, warming as he caresses Shouto's cheek lovingly and relaxes against him. Wholly comfortable in his arms and in the request, and keeping his gaze fondly.

Good. ]

I want you to do that too.

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