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]

"I am in favor of this," Hernando admitted, "Not the least because the onsen is open to the public and is rarely empty. A spa may have a couples package."

[myownface]

"... Ooo."

See, that was a great way to get his attention, right there.

"Couples package. I like the sound of that."

[hernando_fuentes]

Hernando might have spent some time looking up couples massage packages.

"I only looked at massage," Hernando admitted, "I did not look into full spas. There must be something like."

[myownface]

"Okay, but... massage."

Any masseuse would take one look at Sparkle and bust out a mallet or something.

[hernando_fuentes]

Hernando was aware of the muscle tension Sparkle'd been carrying lately, yes.

"You could use one," Hernando said with another brief kiss against Sparkle's temple, "done by a professional and not my poor attempts."

Gently teased, "You know how I love to see you turn to a puddle."

[myownface]

"Bet you love it better when you're the one turning me into one," Sparkle teased. And then relented a little. "But that does sound nice..."

[hernando_fuentes]

"It's true I do enjoy that," Hernando admitted without a trace of shame, "but watching allows me to appreciate it from outside as well."

A moment of reflection. "Would that be alright with you? Disrobing for a massage?"

Sparkle had seemed hesitant about having his shirt off.

[myownface]

Sparkle lifted one shoulder a little. Half-shrug.

Always the same half.

"I mean, it's their job to massage, not to ask questions, right?"

[hernando_fuentes]

Hernando turned slightly to step in front of Sparkle for a moment. Studied his eyes for a second and then leaned in to kiss him briefly but fiercely.

"As long as it does not hurt you." For any meaning of the word.

[myownface]

Which left Sparkle standing there, bemused and pleasantly surprised.

"... I mean," he said, after a moment, "it's... a scar? Not really a 'you can get this on Earth' scar. Well. I have some of those, too."

They were just less blatant than the vibroblade scar. Which in a way was almost a relief. One big scar from a bad incident managed to so neatly take the attention away from a couple dozen more subtle, less showy abuses.

[hernando_fuentes]

"You did not get it on Earth?" Hernando asked. He was a little confused by the statement. He had no idea how Sparkle had received the scar. Only that it was not small and he seemed sort of shy of it.

Then he quickly shook his head. "No matter." After a moment he added, "If any are rude enough to ask, this would be a good time for a 'No shit there I was' reply, yes?"

Or a punch in the mouth. Also acceptable.

[myownface]

Sparkle considered for a moment, and then just shrugged and smiled crookedly.

"I mean, I can just tell them the truth and they'll think I'm fucking with them anyway."

But sometimes it was more fun to actually fuck with people. He hadn't done that in a while.

[hernando_fuentes]

Hernando briefly considered making a comment about the verb. Decided it would be too crude.

"I doubt they would ask more than if it is sensitive," Hernando commented instead. "They should not; they are professionals."

[myownface]

"Yeah," Sparkle agreed, nodding a little. "True that."

A pause, and then he added, "So, like, heads-up for when shirts start coming off, I have this scar?"

[hernando_fuentes]

Hernando gave him a quizzical look. "Yes?"

[myownface]

Sparkle shrugged.

"Just figured I'd get that out of the way, since we're talking about it. Instead of, like, surprising you with it."

It was hard to miss, was all.

[hernando_fuentes]

Hernando was quiet for a moment because the implication of that were not great. "You are here and alive and well and that is what I care about. As long as it does not hurt you."

[myownface]

It would be the big, obvious, immediately worrisome one.

The smaller ones were the ones that a person with a keener eye would be more concerned about. The ones Sparkle would go out of his way to keep attention away from. The ones mostly already hidden under shitty tattoos.

"It's fine," he replied. "It's fine, so long as nobody makes it not fine."

[hernando_fuentes]

Hernando leaned in and kissed him again. "Sparkle. It is fine."

He would not be concerned about the scars at all. They were of the past. If Sparkle chose to speak of them, he would listen. If not, he would not ask.

[myownface]

"It's fine," Sparkle echoed after that kiss was through, and then he huffed out a little laugh and leaned forward to stick his face into Hernando's shoulder. "It's fine."

[hernando_fuentes]

Hernando threaded his fingers into the hair up the back of Sparkle's head and cuddled him into the shoulder a little. The other arm wound around his waist.

[myownface]

"It's fine," Sparkle murmured one more time, and then added, "thanks."

A beat.

"So, puffins?"

[hernando_fuentes]

Hernando made a small negative noise. First, Sparkle was getting another long, fierce kiss.

When he let him up for air, he murmured, "Ok. Now puffins."