[ Even with the break of going to the cinema and breaking into the planetarium as they did it still feels as though it's been a long week. Merlin is tired by the time he flops in his room one night, finally having a couple of hours after dinner to relax. He reads for a little while before finally settling down on his bed, cup of tea to the side, on his CereVice. At first he's just browsing random videos, watching a few songs or just weird cooking clips when he remembers something Athena said the other day.
He hesitates because it seems like a weird thing to research, especially when she gave him a hint, but he doesn't want to screw this up for her when it finally (finally???) happens either.
He slowly types in the letters ( M A K E O U T ) into the computer then pauses before hitting the search button. He chews his lip, nervous and unsure. Maybe this is something he should leave to chance? Maybe... Maybe Maybe. It's with a deep breath he clicks the key to hit go, and even with the thumbnails he feels flustered.
Athena Cykes, what are you doing to him?
He doesn't click any of the videos yet, just tips his head back to rest against the wall, bangs his head there a few times lightly as if he's trying to gather courage to do this ( he is ). Shigeru is only in the next room probably, unless he's gone to bed already.
He clicks the first option, some kind prank video about being able to get girls to make out with them. The start seems fine, a game using rock, paper, scissors with a kiss being the bet but then the actual kissing starts and he almost chokes when it gets more passionate and the guy is pretty much grabbing areas he probably shouldn't when they're strangers.
Needless to say, he nopes out of there immediately, almost throwing his CereVice to the bottom of his bed.
He doesn't, just drops it to the side as he draws up his knees, rubs his face a bit to try and calm down. Why is this so embarrassing? Really he's used to romantic gestures, to romantic dinners and words, holding hands while whispering compliments and praise but this--
Would it make her happy? That's the important thing in all of this. Would it make her happy? He doesn't know if he can take the risk on him being utterly clueless and being a disappointment, even if right now his palms are sweaty and he feels like he's having a heart attack.
Slowly he drags the CereVice back, and when he loads up the screen again the search options are still there.
This time he tries for a tutorial, and honestly it's a lot more helpful and a lot less difficult to watch. The woman and man in the video talk the viewer through step by step and it's solely focused on the kissing part which is what he wanted but ah.
Save him.
He bites his lip and presses a hand against his mouth when it starts giving the tip for 4 seconds, using tongue ( when did that ever come into kissing-- ) and then his hands are moving into his hair. The most helpful part of this is the hints of when a girl might want this style of kissing but even then he's just. Not hyperventilating but he's flustered and so glad he's alone at the moment. His mouth feels dry, and even once he turns the whole thing off and puts it to the side he can't get it out of his mind.
What would that even feel like?
He twists to lay down, pressing his face against his pillow as it burns, his skin everywhere feels like it's burning against the cool sheets and he ends up squirming a bit as he tries to stop thinking about it. It doesn't work.
In the end, he gets in the shower, skin on fire as the cool water washes over him and his hands just press against his face. He's already clean, but god does he need to calm down.
[ It's only been a couple of days since the cosplay cafe's adventure to that weird "hotel". Since the trust exercises and the masseuse from hell. But it feels longer since they've had one of these dates, well "dates". It's hard to think of a word to describe the activity itself when they aren't calling this dating, but it's fine. Time together sums it up well enough.
Tonight he's asked her to meet him here, just so they can take the food and wine from the fridge (his picnic treat this time) so they can take it to the roof.
That isn't the main reason though. He has another gift hidden in his room that he wants to give her before they go to the dark sky, where they'll only have the small LED lights to illuminate their area and he wants her to actually see it. To see her reaction, too.
Granted, he thinks he still has 10 to 15 more minutes and is still in the shower when she arrives, but Shigeru will be able to buzz her in, and if he isn't, the door is unlocked anyway. ]
[ it might not be a date or anything, but to her—in her heart—it is. she can't help it. she scrambled the whole afternoon just trying to look pretty for him. for their date—err, their not-date. the point is, it's something that still makes athena's heart pump wildly.
she doesn't want to look too casual despite just going to the rooftop, but at the same time, she doesn't want to look like she's all business-y, either. so she ends up in this little number. something simple, something cute, and hopefully, something that'll make him smile.
she does arrive early, too, out of sheer excitement and because she didn't want to be late. she's been late many times—in court, to meetings, etc. so she'd rather not be late for something like this. shigeru buzzes her in and he goes back to what he was doing in his room.
she waits by the living area, seated comfortably and just looking around, waiting for merlin. she'd knock on his door, but she is early, so let's not pressure the poor boy. ]
[ If she gets close enough to his door she probably would hear the sound of the water from the shower at least, though it's short lived as he switches it off to get out. It's a few more minutes as he tries to towel dry most of the water from his hair, but he makes no attempt at styling it just yet.
In fact, after half drying off he realises he left the bag he planned on taking to his room that afternoon in the living room.
He moves to wrap the towel around his waist, checking it's secure (though he doesn't think Shigeru will be in the living room anymore) and opens the door and starts to walk out to get the bag that's by the coffee table when he notices the living room isn't as empty as he thought it would be.
The towel definitely no longer feels secure enough to deal with this, the bag feels too far away and he has to wonder how long she's been there and how long Shigeru shuffled into his room to hide away.
His hands immediately move to grip the side of the towel. ] Athena?!
[ H e l p.
His teeth dig into his lip and he immediately looks towards the clock on the wall, breathing out a sigh of relief when he realises he isn't late. But that isn't the problem, is it? ] I forgot... [ He lets one hand go of the towel to indicate towards the bag and just--
--he has no idea who this is probably more alarming for, honestly. ]
Merli— [ she was holding a small book to read while waiting and she just drops it on the floor, on her foot. and because of that, she lets out a very prompt: ] Ow, ow, ow!
[ her face is red, she can't seem to think anymore, and her foot hurts. at least she seems to be focusing on her foot, wincing as she does, than to get a better glimpse of merlin in just his towel. ]
Oh my god! [ okay, that's a lie. she looks at him, in tears because of the pain. ] Put some clothes on!
[ pervert!
she'd throw a throw pillow at him, but shigeru might not appreciate a pillow on the floor. let's not... make the person she barely knows angry. ]
sdgkjnsdgkjndsg on a scale of 1 to 10 how cruel can i be
[ He almost forgets to keep gripping the towel when she injures herself, wincing openly as the book hits her foot. ]
Are you-- [ Alright?????? He wants to ask, but then she's yelling and his hand shoots up to cover at least one of his ears. Thankfully, with his magic he can look at the bag and it'll start walking itself. ] --alright? [ He finishes it weakly, then glances down when the bag walks itself into his room. ]
I'll just-- [ But the towel was jostled enough when he'd moved forward because she hurt herself and the back accidentally starts to slip away. He manages to catch it before it falls too much, obviously, but this is a Very Uncomfortable situation. ]
--be going now.
[ How quickly can a person back away? Very quickly, apparently. He lets his door shut and even with it covering his room now it's a little difficult to remember it's okay to let the towel go now. ]
[ she's not even picking up the book on the floor, pages sprawled out and she bookmark flying out... she won't know what page to return to at this point, but whatever, right. like that matters now.
she means she's fine, by the way, not... the whole "i'll be going now", "fine" thing. . . just in case he misunderstands. because that's all she says when she covers her eyes with both her hands, still totally flushed. this is the best worst. ]
[ Too bad he'll definitely misunderstand that, unless she said it before he kept talking. He ends up just wasting a minute with his forehead pressed against the door, but finally he pulls himself away to fix up the towel (there's no way he's just discarding it like he normally would now) and instead pulls out everything he has in the bag onto the bed.
One he at least has the bottoms on he moves back to the bathroom to try and do his hair like Vietnam told him to, but really it's been a lot of winging it since they were at the hair stylists before anyway. It's only once he's sure it's okay and his hair isn't dripping onto his shoulders anymore that he pulls the shirt on and finally finishes off into this outfit.
It's a lot smarter than normal but it's also a warmer night than usual and maybe this is making up for the fact that she almost saw him ........... well.
When he opens the door this time he's carrying a bag that looks the same as the one that was left outside, he holds it out on your finger, looking apologetic. ] I took the wrong one in with me earlier, this one... has something in it for you. [ Please forgive him.............
Rather it being from the same shop as where his clothes were from though, it actually contains two much smaller bags. ] I wasn't going to give you them both at the same time, but... Sorry.
[ Inside the slightly bigger bag is a headband and the smaller one, is a glove. ]
[ the time merlin took to get changed was the time time athena used to breathe and just find her footing (ha ha) once again. she picks up her book, as well as the bookmark, and shoves it in between random pages. she'll just fix it later on when she's alone again (not that she's alone right now) before bed. not unless they sleep on the rooftop again, which. . . wouldn't be so bad, to be honest.
she slaps herself lightly a couple of times, telling her everything's fine and it's not like she saw anything. so it's still good. it's not like it would ruin their relationship or anything. or make things worse. or. or. something...
once he's out, she can't help but look him over. he looks nice. should she say it out loud? now she feels like she's underdressed all of a sudden. ] You. [ okay, okay, she'll say it. ] You look really nice.
[ to the point that her jaw almost drops.
she takes the bag, though, but doesn't open it or look inside at first. she's still looking at him. ]
[ Only when she says that he looks down at himself, twisting his arm in the jacket a bit. ]
The sales assistant picked it out. [ ...because he's Useless. ] Honestly, that's what happens most of the time. Thanks. Though. [ He didn't really pay attention to her earlier, or rather her clothes, because he was too busy being embarrassed getting caught like that so he looks her over now. Maybe his is a little over the top in comparison, but hers is definitely cute. ] You do too.
[ He waits a beat, then... looks confused?? ] You weren't supposed to. I just saw it while out the other day and it was fitting...
[ smh this boob... he's too modest. he could at least leave the details out, you know. to make him sound less useless. because that would be better. she laughs, though-- ] Not Vietnam, this time?
And I look so underdressed compared to you, too. [ she has to note that, okay. stupid merlin looking so good and making her look like she's just in her pyjamas... what a boob. but at the comment regarding the gift, she looks at the bag. ]
I guess not, but- [ she doesn't feel as thoughtful as him, now. she should be more thoughtful next time around and get him something nice. something better than a gigantic dragon, that's for sure. ]
Thanks, Merlin. [ she still hasn't opened it, though. ] I'll keep it.
Not this time, no. [ He smiles at her, scratching his jaw lightly. ] I wouldn't want her to know I'm still really confused about what's supposed to be good with modern fashion. I'm used to having multiples of the same.
[ Though let's not talk about being underdressed after what just happened, okay? He glances at her, though his eyes avert moments after with a faint laugh. ]
You look pretty. Sometimes I wonder if you really even realise how pretty you are. [ kicks him off a bridge ]
But it's probably better you open it now, it's why I wanted you to come here first. I want you to check it's alright, where it's light. And all.
[ a quick interjection-- ] You can't just say things like that!
[ she deflates and her movements get a bit more minimal, as if she's trying to hide herself in her seat... this is embarrassing. ] But. Thank you.
[ this stupid guy. she can't even look at him in the eye now. so instead, she looks at the bag and opens it.
she cants her head as she pulls out the headband. it looks like a necklace from the bag, but now she knows what it is. ] Oh my gosh... [ a hand moves to cover her mouth from the shock. ] This is so pretty.
And there's even— [ she takes out the glove from the bag. ] They match!
[ Only he really isn't helping in the slightest when he moves to sit on the edge of the coffee table, opposite the seat she's taken residence in. ]
And here I thought free speech was a thing now. [ He watches her take out the two parts though, clasping his hands together as a means to do something with them. Despite actually having some help from Vietnam for this part, he's still a little nervous about it.
Her commentary helps a little, especially when she says it's pretty and he starts to relax a little. ]
Well I wasn't going to get two completely different ones, was I? [ He chews on his lip. ] The glove only has one though because I know you have the... [ He indicates to her hand where the glove to use Widget's functions are. ]
Aha... [ she just laughs amiably. free speech is a thing now, but not when you're with athena. because she gets flustered. and you know what happens when people get flustered? athena in particular? she gets violent. but at least she's not being volatile right now. ] So- Sorry, like I said, it's weird. I'm not used to it.
[ compliments, that is. it's other people who usually get compliments, not her. ]
But thank you, really. [ she smiles, holding both the glove and the headband close to her heart. then she looks at him. ]
Should I- I mean, do you want me to wear them now?
[ it wouldn't mess her hair or anything, since her hair is down. she'd have to take off her widget glove, though. ]
[ It's fine, maybe one day (like now) she'll start to get more and more used to it so she won't smack him everytime he says something meaningful. ]
It's up to you, they're yours to wear whenever you want.
[ He really isn't going to tell her what to do with them, they just made him think of her with all the symbolism they have with butterflies between them since the dark part of the city and all.
Then, maybe next time. [ she nods, placing them back in their respective bags. ] When you'll be able to see it better. [ she loves it, and she wants to wear it proudly where other people can see it, too. LOOK AT THIS, YOU BASTARDS. MERLIN GOT THIS FOR ME!!! #flaunting
it's also good to know that they aren't talking about. the towel incident.
which, by the way, suddenly popped into her head again, and once again her face is flushed. ]
Right! I have the stuff in the fridge, I just need to move it to the cool box. The blankets are in my room, I didn't want Shigeru to see them out of place and get... you know... [ He tilts his head, indicates towards the super clean room. ]
If you can carry these two pillows and the sheet for the floor, I should be able to carry the rest.
[ He's quickly going to the fridge now though to put the food in the cooler, along with water, juice and... there might be a bit of wine in there definitely not enough for either of them to go crazy and more for a taste. He might have looked up what was popular in a certain country that begins with "I" and found a bunch of wines and cheeses that would go together.
There's obviously some other stuff in there too, but it's mostly heavier snack food. Pasta salads, other salads, sandwiches... meats...
There's just a lot of it.
When he comes back out she'll notice he's tipped a little to the side he's holding the box at. ]
I can do that, [ she even flashes him a peace sign to show that it's an easy task. leave it to her, merl!
that said, she notices that he's bringing a lot of things... wow??? just how much are they going to eat up there. they didn't even finish the snacks they had the last time they were at the rooftop.
[ Ah, how cute... as per usual. But really it's because he bought a cheese plate that's on a chopping board... you know how those things go. There are different types of crackers and what not too.
Slaps you with a small wet fish. ]
I think it's just because I'd rather just cut it up while we're up there and do it that way, we'll probably be wasting some bits otherwise. You got those?
[ He'll make sure his card is in his pocket and he has his CereVice then pick up both the box and the blankets. Life being used as a donkey surely has its merits. ]
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