The Causeway, Sunday Evening

[myownface]

Sparkle bounced on his toes as he waited to meet Hernando on the Causeway for their date. He'd... kind of panicked. Being given a couple of days to come up with something good given the date that Hernando had arranged had left him flailing, and now he was second-guessing basically everything, ever. But it was too late to back out now, even if his choice for the evening was less about art and more about ambiance.

He desperately hoped that the place wouldn't be swamped with kids.

He also hadn't even gotten as far as making dinner reservations.

Tonight was going to be interesting, okay?

[OOC: For that guy!]

Comments

[hernando_fuentes]

"A goldfish, I think?" Hernando mused.

[myownface]

"I bet I could teach a betta anything a goldfish can learn," Sparkle declared.

Atton was going to think he'd completely lost his mind.

[hernando_fuentes]

"I don't see why not," Hernando agreed, "Perhaps we shall have to find you little sports gear for Milady."

Wouldn't that be some fun shopping.

[myownface]

"But where will we find tiny kneepads and sneakers for him?"

Because why have this conversation without letting it go utterly off the rails, right?

[hernando_fuentes]

Hernando laughed quietly, "He would need legs and feet to wear them but I am sure you could make some and have them on the bottom of the tank in case he evolved."

Sparkle was a delight.

[myownface]

"Well, okay," Sparkle replied, nodding solemnly. "I suppose we'll have to settle for the tiny headband and work our way up to evolution from there."

[hernando_fuentes]

"Sweatbands for his fins," Hernando offered.

Then he leaned in to kiss Sparkle for no apparent reason.

[myownface]

Well, Sparkle wasn't going to complain about the progression of this conversation. Kissing was an excellent idea, after all, and so he was going to kiss Hernando back, a smile pulling at his lips as he did so.

"Yeah," he laughed when the kiss was through. "Yeah, that. Exactly."

[hernando_fuentes]

"If you get cichlids and have enough of them, you could teach them football," Hernando smiled. Corrected. "Soccer. Not the American kind. Too rough. Somefish could get hurt."

[myownface]

"It's true. Anyway, I don't think they make little helmets for fishes. Soccer it is," Sparkle decided, bumping his forehead lightly against Hernando's.

And then, a little more quietly, he added, "I'm enjoying this."

[hernando_fuentes]

Hernando smiled and nuzzled his nose against Sparkle's. "I, also."

[myownface]

"Good." And then another quick kiss before Sparkle added, "I'm glad."

Relieved. Sparkle was relieved.

[hernando_fuentes]

The relief caused a small worry for Hernando. Giving Sparkle's hand a squeeze, he tried to reassure him without it sounding as though he were doing that.

"I enjoy spending time with you."

[myownface]

"Just doing whatever?"

You know, not that Sparkle doubted Hernando was enjoying the aquarium. The excitement over the sea dragons alone had cleared that up.

[hernando_fuentes]

"Doing whatever," Hernando confirmed, "Talking. Being here with you, your hand in mine even if there were no talking."

[myownface]

Sparkle nodded a bit, and then sighed, and smiled, and bumped his forehead against Hernando's again.

"So next time I won't, like, worry myself stupid over the perfect date scenario?"

Sparkle, you had like three days' notice. Hernando hadn't expected you to arrange for Shakespeare at the Globe.

[hernando_fuentes]

"Oh, probably you will," Hernando teased him with a kiss on the forehead, "Though you never have to on my account. I will be happy to spend time with you and if we are doing something that makes you happy, I promise I shall not be having a bad time."

Happy Sparkle was a smiling Sparkle and Hernando was developing an addiction to those dimples.

[myownface]

Sparkle totally had those dimples weaponized in case of emergency.

"Well, good," Sparkle decided. And then glanced around. "Okay, but, like, in general, scale of one to ten, the aquarium?"

... This was not intended to be a trap. Honest.

[hernando_fuentes]

"Were I on my own, perhaps a six," Hernando answered after due consideration, "It is a little too loud for me if I were here only with my own thoughts. I would wish to sit and contemplate. With you, it is a solid eight. I can talk with you about the fishes."

[myownface]

"I will take a solid eight, then," Sparkle decided, nodding. "And I'll keep the quiet in mind next time. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad on a different day of the week, or a different time of the day..."

Weekdays stood the risk of field trip groups from elementary schools at this time of year, though. Dangerous.

[hernando_fuentes]

Hernando leaned in and kissed Sparkle briefly. "Hey. You. I do not wish to be quietly contemplative when you are here. That is what I do when I wish to be inside my own head and that is not what I wish, when you are here."

[myownface]

Sparkle laughed softly and ducked his head.

"Fair enough," he replied. "If we're on a date and you've gone quietly contemplative, I'm probably doing something wrong."

[hernando_fuentes]

"Not wrong," Hernando insisted, squeezing his hand again. "Never that. It is only that I prefer to do things together, when I am with you."

A slow smile curved the corners of his mouth, "If we're on a date and I become quiet it is more likely that my words are of a sort that should not be overheard by any save you."

[myownface]

Sparkle blinked, and then looked up again with a playful smirk of his own.

"So if you've gone quiet, I should drag you off somewhere we can be alone, should I?"

[hernando_fuentes]

Hernando smiled back at him, "If you wish to hear those thoughts then yes, you should."