mayfield_logs | There's a boy across the river with short black curly hair

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c: tir mcdohl

There's a boy across the river with short black curly hair

Who: Lion Ushiromiya and Tir McDohl
What: Talking about feelings and emotions concerning what happened on Valentine's Day.
Where: 1763 Beaver Street.
When: Afternoon of March 14th.
Warnings: Feels.

Lion hadn't realized just what he and Tir had done until after the effects of the flowers on Valentine's Day had worn off, and when he did, it was a shock. Lion had never kissed anyone before, and especially not under the influence, which made the whole situation even more awkward. He couldn't really bring himself to face Tir after what happened, and he hated that. Avoiding someone was rarely ever a pleasant thing to do in Lion's experience, especially with someone he had grown to care for as much as Tir.

But since it had now been about a month since the whole event had taken place, Lion had decided that it was high time that they talked about it. It was the only reasonable thing to do, after all; they couldn't just leave things hanging like that, leaving those unspoken feelings to fester between them. So that afternoon Lion made himself head over to Tir's house and ring the doorbell, not caring for once if this was short notice. They needed to talk, no matter how uncomfortable it would be.

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No one else was home to answer the door. Tir figured he may as well end his nap, hopping up from the couch to answer. Of course once he saw who it was... he froze. Lion. That boy. The one he had kissed, that he had confessed his latent feelings to. The one he had been, mutually apparently, avoiding for upwards to a month... His expression visibly shifted, looking just a bit... confused.

"Um... hey."

Lion flinched slightly when the door opened, but his posture immediately straightened afterwards. He was still nervous about doing this, but it had to be done. He couldn't let Tir know how anxious he currently was.

"Hello, Tir. I'm sorry that this is such short notice, but do you mind if I come in?" Lion paused for a moment to steady his thoughts. "I'd like to talk with you about some things."

Oh by the Runes. 'Talk about things'. That was the opposite of what he had wanted to do. But... was it right to really let things go on the way they were? Cleo would no doubt have scolded him had she been there. Gremio, too, had he any clue. With a sigh, he stepped aside, allowing the other in.

"I can get you something to eat or drink, too, if you need it."

Lion could already tell that Tir wasn't exactly looking forward to talking about what happened either. That made him feel a little better, but not much. If they were both reluctant about this, it would probably end badly. At least Lion had forced himself to initiate this...

Mentally shaking off his worries, Lion stepped inside. "Just something to drink would be fine, thank you."

"Glass of water then. Have a seat, I'll be right back," Tir spoke a bit too quickly, disappearing into the kitchen with just as much swiftness. He needed a moment to gather his thoughts...

Which was fine by Lion, since he needed some time as well. He moved to sit down on the couch, taking a few deep breaths to calm himself down. It was alright. Everything would be fine. He hoped.

Tir found himself going over the same thoughts in his head as he finally brought Lion a glass of water, sitting across from the boy. Where to even start... They obviously knew what this was going to be about. And really...

"Look, I... I know things have been awkward. It's my fault, really. You were under the influence of the flowers. You have an excuse."

Lion took the glass of water and had a small sip before speaking. At least the ice had been broken.

"Maybe so, but I should have known something would happen when those flowers showed up all over town. I've been here for over a year now, after all. And...I shouldn't have avoided you for as long as I did afterwards. That probably didn't help things at all..."

"Well... What else could you do? No one wants to be in the position of rejecting someone else...," Tir sighed, feeling that it was coming anyways. "Maybe it wasn't the best decision... but I can't say I would have done differently in your position. Especially if it's someone you're already close to, to some degree..."

"It wasn't just rejection that I was worried about. I didn't want to reject you. It's just..." Lion slowly put down his glass. "When I said I'd never been in a relationship before, I didn't mean it was entirely by choice. Back home, I was legitimately not allowed to be in any kind of relationship my parents didn't approve of. They wanted me to marry someone of their choice and have children to carry on the family, and I've grown up with that knowledge. So...I suppose that was part of it, somehow. I guess it was sort of a shock to me.

"But there's also the fact that..." Lion swallows. He really didn't want to admit this. What if Tir took it the wrong way? "That I...I kissed you. And you're a boy. And where I'm from, that's...people aren't accepting of that kind of thing. So at first, when I realized what we had been doing...I wasn't sure what to do. I was scared."

... To be honest, those weren't the sort of responses he was expecting at all. Instead of putting up his own reasons, Lion kept up putting up reasons that... had been decided for him. His family. Society. But not him. Tir hadn't heard a single reason of Lion's own.

"It's... not exactly well looked on where I come from either. It's seen as selfish and perverse... But I never believed that. And I'm already on the outside of society. My family name is already over with. I guess I just... I didn't see any reason not to. I didn't think..."

"Yes, well...at first, it did bother me."

Lion reached out to run his finger around the rim of the glass as he spoke. "But then I remembered something. I made a promise to someone once, that I'd live my life fully, and that I'd find someone I'd be happy with. Back then, when I was told that, I thought that if I just carried out my duties as successor to the headship as best I could and then married whoever my parents wanted me to, then I'd fulfill that promise. So when all of that happened, I thought that was the exact opposite of what that person wanted me to do."

Lion then raised his head to look at Tir. "But when I thought about that...I realized that wasn't quite right. I was happy with you even before what happened on Valentine's Day. And it was a different kind of happiness that I couldn't really place. Even though I was under the influence of those flowers...I did mean what I said when I told you how I felt. But it took me a while to realize that there wasn't anything wrong with it.

"And I think...that's the real reason why I avoided you for so long. I was ashamed for misinterpreting what that person was trying to tell me, and for being scared of how I felt about you for no good reason."

... Okay, he really hadn't expected all that. In fact, the entire conversation was defying all the of the preconceived ideas he had formed about Lion's though process regarding the incident. Tir was expecting a gentle let down, an awkward friendship following, and however long spent mourning what could have been. But this... this was Lion saying that...

"Lion... Are you... Are you... Are you saying what I think you are? About... about what happened? About, well... us?" He had to be certain. Making assumptions could cost everything.

"Well, I don't know." Lion smiled, and in that smile there was just a hint of sly playfulness. "What do you think I'm trying to say?"

While this may have seemed like Lion was trying to dodge the question, it was really because he wanted to hear Tir's thoughts on this now. He'd already done quite a bit of talking for himself, after all.

"When... When I had confessed to you... Those were my honest feelings. The flowers didn't manufacture those... only the will to say them out loud. So, I guess... I really do like you. You're noble, fun to be around, gentle when called for, playful, and... sometimes when I look into your eyes, I get a little lost. But it's the good kind of lost, if that makes any sense. After awhile, I started to realize that I was... falling for you. If not for the flowers, I never would have said anything. And maybe... maybe it would have been for the best. But if you feel at all the same..."

He was rambling. He hated to ramble. It didn't feel right.

Lion's smile became a little more genuine at that. And Tir wouldn't have to ramble any further, because he decided it would be a good time to interject.

"I do feel the same way, Tir. I'm just sorry it took me so long to realize that...and to accept it."

Lion let out a chuckle. "Who knows? Maybe despite how troublesome those flowers were for everyone, we can consider them a blessing in disguise in this case. I think we would have had a lot more trouble expressing our feelings about this if it weren't for them."

"You... you really do?" His expression lit up like the sun. It was probably the best news he'd gotten all month. "I-I mean, well..."

And that begged the question.

"If that's true, well... what do we do now?"

"Ah, well..." To be honest, Lion hadn't thought that far ahead. His main priority in coming here had been to get all these feelings off his chest, and now that he'd succeeded with that...

"Wherever we like, I suppose...like I said, I've never been in a relationship before, so I'm not entirely sure how to go about this..."

"I'm as lost as you are, but... well...," Tir sat up, moving to sit closer to Lion. This was awkward, but... Well, they managed it during the flowers, right? He just had no idea where to begin with it now that they were in their right minds...

It took a moment for Lion to realize that Tir had moved closer to him, and that slowly brings a blush to his face. But even though he was no longer under the influence of the flowers...he found that he didn't mind. He was nervous, yes, because he wasn't used to sitting so close to someone he had feelings for, but it was also exciting in a way...and it also made him happy, somehow.

"Um..." Despite seeming unsure and at a loss for words, Lion also moved closer to Tir. Maybe they could just figure things out from here.

It was a long shot. And he knew he probably wouldn't do well at it. But he had a feeling this was the right time for it. No flowers, no influences, just the two of them and those honest feelings of attraction. He would have no better opportunity. Swallowing away his apprehension, Tir leaned closer and closer...

Somehow Lion knew this would happen once Tir had sat next to him. And after finally admitting how they felt about one another after all the awkwardness between them, this really did feel like the best time for it.

So once Tir started to lean towards him, Lion did the same until they were close enough for him to gently press his lips against the other boy's.

There were the old cliches from the old stories running through his mind. Things about time slowing down, about hearing fireworks burst in the night sky (though it was mid-afternoon). But none of it really seemed fit to describe the feeling that coursed through him as he kissed the other boy. No, he simply lacked the poetry skill for it. But he was absolutely certain that it was an experience he'd never forget...

It really was a special moment. True, they had already kissed before and it had also felt magical, but now that there wasn't any interference from the town it felt even more special. Lion could forget how the flowers had made them admit their feelings before they were ready and enjoy the moment now, as it was. This really was his first real kiss with someone, and Lion couldn't be happier.

Tir's heart took off like a bird in the sky. He honestly felt a bit overwhelmed, having to part from the other a few moments into the kiss to catch his breath. The exhilaration was making his fingers twitch, his skin prickle with goosebumps. Absolutely amazing...

"Wow..."

Lion paused to catch his breath as well once they broke the kiss. His heart was hammering in his ears, and he definitely had goosebumps too even though those were easily hidden by his long sleeves. He didn't know it was possible to feel so nervous and yet so happy at the same time. It was an odd mix of emotions that Lion wasn't accustomed to, but he figured he could get used to them.

"That was..." Lion's voice trailed off. It was one of the few times in his life that he was at a complete loss for words.

"I guess... this officially makes you and me an 'us', doesn't it?" Tir gave a somewhat goofy smile, uncertain how else to word things.

"Yes, I suppose it does." Lion laughed lightly, leaning his forehead against Tir's. "I don't think you can get much more official than this."

"Well... Not without getting onto the roof and announcing it to the whole town." He was kind of tempted...

"I...think that would make it a little too official." Although a small, secret part of Lion wouldn't really have minded that much.

"Honestly, though, I don't even know how I should start telling people about us...this is all so new to me."

"Well, start small. Only the close people. I know that's how I will. Gremio, then... Well maybe just Gremio."

"Then that's what I'll do. It shouldn't be too hard, right?" Luckily there were some people Lion knew here who still hadn't been droned.

"Gremio-san...I know this may be a silly thing to ask, but will he be alright with us being together?" Because God forbid that Lion would make anyone's parents/parental figures disapprove of him.

"He may find it a bit strange at first. But... He's also understanding. He'll be able to tell how happy I am with you... He won't protest. In fact, I think he'll like you. You two are a bit alike, in some ways," Tir remarked, chuckling a bit.

"Well, we have spoken before. If you say he won't mind, then I believe you. And he does have a right to know, since I'll probably be visiting often..." Lion already had a feeling it wouldn't be too much of an issue, but he was still relieved to hear it from Tir. It also made him wonder, for a moment, how Krauss and Natsuhi would react if they were here and he told them...but knowing them, he'd rather not think about that.

"Oh? How often, hmm?" The giddiness had begun to fade, leaving room for a familiar teasing smile on Tir.

"As often as you'd like me to. But I could also drop by from time to time. It's not like I can just leave you alone now that we're together, can I?"

Lion's tone was teasing as well. Admittedly it was a welcome change of mood; things felt a little more familiar now that things had been cleared up between them.

"That so, eh? Careful now, I may get addicted to your presence," Tir laughed, leaning in for another kiss, this time on Lion's cheek.

"Ah..." Well, that had been unexpected on Lion's part. "Well...the way things are going I wouldn't mind being in your presence either."

"Glad we're in agreement, then!" Tir laughed heartily, drawing the other boy in for a fairly strong hug. He was on cloud nine.

At first, Lion made a small noise of protest when Tir pulled him in for a hug. This was a lot more physical contact than he was used to...but somehow, it wasn't so bad if it was Tir. It took a moment, but soon Lion returned the embrace, resting his head in the crook of the other's neck.

"I..." Lion paused, not sure if his words would come out right. "I really do like you, Tir. I've never felt this way about anyone before, and it's strange to me...but I promise I'll do my best to make you happy."

"And I promise the same... While we're both here, I'll do whatever I can for you." Tir sighed, now more gently cradling the other boy. It felt so... right. Being like this with Lion. Like he could just truly be himself around the other. No pretenses, no fake smiles...

Even though it had been sudden, Lion realized that it was kind of nice to just be held like this. It was comforting, even though normally Lion didn't feel like he needed comfort. He could definitely get used to it.

"Well...you could keep training me, like you offered. We didn't manage to do much before the whole fiasco on Valentine's Day, did we?"

"We can definitely do that." Tir nuzzled. It would be fun, having not only a friend to train with, but someone like Lion... He wasn't sure he had a word for it yet. The idea of calling him a 'boyfriend' hadn't even occurred to him.

Lion had thought about it, but the word "boyfriend" still sounded odd in his head. He never thought he'd even have a girlfriend during his time here, much less a boyfriend.

"Mm..." Lion found himself leaning into Tir's touch. "I'll be looking forward to it, then."

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There's a boy across the river with short black curly hair

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