myownface | The Causeway, Sunday Evening

"That's a good movie," Sparkle said, smiling lopsidedly. "The sequel was good, too. Stupid movies about fish aren't supposed to be so... feelings."

So very feelings.

But then, Pixar.

"There was a sequel?" Hernando asked, "Hm. I had not heard. I shall have to look that up once I'm home."

So he could cry like he had at the first movie. Shush.

What the world really needed was the two of them watching Pixar movies and sobbing like idiots all over one another. Clearly.

"It's a tissues movie," Sparkle warned. "Or at least a 'bring a pillow to hug' movie."

Indeed. Though not this night. Hernando was in far too good a mood for that.

"I shall take note of that and save the rental for some day I feel maudlin," Hernando said with a small smile.

Something caught his attention and distracted him completely. "Sparkle, look!" He all but dragged Sparkle over to another tank with almost childlike enthusiasm, "Dragons!"

Leafy and weedy sea dragons, yes sir.

"Oooooooooohmygod those are SO COOL," Sparkle said, letting Hernando take the lead with a grin on his face. Seeing him get enthusiastic about something here so soon through the door really helped validate his choice right away, too. "Are those, like... they're like seahorses, but--"

He was gesturing with one hand, like maybe he could pluck the word from the air.

"I love them."

"Yes!" Hernando exclaimed excitedly, "I have only ever seen pictures of them. Never alive!"

They were alive. They just weren't moving very quickly. Drifting to and fro like the lazy sea monsters they truly were.

"Aah! It yawned!" If his eyes could become little animated hearts, they would have done so.

"I take everything back," Sparkle announced. "I don't need sharks or sea lions, I need like a million of these guys these guys are amazing look at them!"

Why yes, yes he was whipping out his phone to google if people were allowed to keep these things as pets or something.

They are devilishly difficult to keep alive in captivity. That is why even aquariums rarely have them on display.

Hernando was staring all wide eyed. Transfixed by the slow water dance of the dragons. "That would be something, no? They look like flowers."

Weeds, Hernando. They looked like weeds.

Flowery, flowery weeds.

"Aww, they don't really breed in captivity," Sparkle sulked. "Okay, nah, I don't want one. But seeing them here like this is so fucking cool."

Even ignoring the prohibitive price of both the fish and the tank it would need, Sparkle wasn't going to ever keep any wild-caught animals as pets, no.

... Because there were plenty of captive-bred pet hammerhead sharks, sure.

"They are as you say, very fucking cool," Hernando agreed wholeheartedly.

Sparkle's tenderheartedness was endearing even when expressed as a sulk. It made Hernando's smile just that much wider.

"We're gonna have to come back again sometime," Sparkle decided. "For the dragons."

And because it was kind of fantastic, seeing Hernando so engrossed in something. His smile was so good. Sparkle wanted more of it.

"Are you inviting me on another date before we have concluded this one?" Hernando asked, turning attention from the sea dragons to Sparkle, "I suppose this is evidence you are not having too terrible a time."

"And we've only been here like ten minutes, too," Sparkle laughed. "That seems like a pretty good sign, huh?"

He leaned in to kiss Hernando's nose, because it was now pointed at him and he could, and then he grinned.

"Unless you didn't want another one? I'll give you the rest of this date to decide if I'm actually a disaster or not, how's that sound?"

Hernando nuzzled his kissed-upon nose against Sparkle's before leaning further for the briefest brush of a kiss across his lips.

"I have already accepted," Hernando smiled, "because yes I do want another one."

"Yesssss," Sparkle replied, grinning into that nuzzle. "Good. Good. I'm looking forward to it."

Very much.

Hernando was as well. Spending time with Sparkle was energizing.

Recalling an earlier conversation with Kaidan produced a short, quiet chuckle. "I tried to make a joke about third dates to Kaidan and wound up having to explain the entire trope. Sometimes I forget what an adorable innocent he is." Which did not in the slightest stop him from taking ruthless advantage of that same fact to cause Kaidan to blush.

"I, for one, am looking forward to jellyfishes."

Sparkle blinked, picturing that conversation.

And then broke into a fit of giggles.

"Oh man, I'm sorry I wasn't a fly on the wall for that," he cackled. "How much did he sputter? Was it bad?"

"It was," Hernando confirmed, "a complete travesty. I scandalized him, Sparkle."

On purpose, absolutely.

"He blushed quite badly," and there was the grin at that recall, yes, "and then he glowered at me and made me promise on my honor that it was only meant as a joke to tease him and not a societal convention that I intended to follow nor an expectation I intended to lean on you."

Hernando was even more amused by that.

"You did see his face at the date night, yes?"

He hoped so. At least half of that teasing had been in the hope Sparkle was watching.

Sparkle laughed, breaking into a shameless grin.

"I mean, I was his last date of the night. Poor guy." He leaned in a little bit more, a smug look on his face. "So, tell me more about your feelings on societal conventions..."

"Oh? Did you make him blush also?" Hernando smiled.

He considered what he would have to say about societal conventions. Used Sparkle's hand to gently tug him in just that much more.

Then promptly kissed the hell out of his date right there in front of the sea dragons.

The sea dragons did not seem to mind.

Neither did Sparkle.

Actually, Sparkle seemed to be enjoying this kiss very much, reaching a hand behind Hernando's head to thread his fingers through his hair and pressing himself up tight against him. That did a very good job of answering that question, Sparkle thought. He really rather approved of the fervent reply.

Hernando hummed a low approving note and let his free hand travel to Sparkle's waist to hold him close.

He let the kiss deepen and linger for a long few minutes before allowing Sparkle to surface for air.

Then he smiled and murmured, "Hi there."

"Hiiiiii," Sparkle said, smiling and leaning to press his forehead against Hernando's. "So, I have to say, I'm liking your take on the whole..."

The hand that wasn't still in Hernando's hair waved around vaguely.

"Conventions. Thing."

Hernando nuzzled him and laughed softly. "There are some I enjoy breaking very much," he answered, "The one in question is no up to me alone so I cannot speak to it. I very much enjoy kissing you."

Somewhere nearby, there was the mechanical sound of someone's phone camera going off.

Sparkle blinked up. And then glanced in the direction of the phone camera, to make damn sure they were taking photos of the fishes, thank you.

He might have looked ready to throw down, shoulders tense and brow creased while he assessed the situation.

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