[PRP] You're a Starboy (Horace & Oliver)

[Melancholies]

"Why would it be weird?" He squinted. Was he meaning it in a gendered way sort of dealy? Because he supposed people would call him girly if they found out he could knit or liked to scrapbook or whatever. "I think it's a rather lovely talent to posses, in fact—"

His words caught in his throat. He visibly jumped, "E-Excuse you! I didn't even agree to anything like that!" His cheeks got pink. Nosey appeared like a ghost again, green eyes floating like tiny lights. She was the most spindly soot ball. She was also lured around by the sounds of forks clinking on plates.

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"But you said you were open to learning about romance - isn't this the next step? It's not like it's a real date." He ate a bite of pie, then snapped off a piece of crust overhang and popped that into his mouth, too.

"It's a practice date. Unless," he frowned. "-the thought of going anywhere with me is so awful."

melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

"T-That's not what I was implying! You moron!" He didn't know what to do with his hands; oh right, eat pie with them. He did just that. Furiously. "I'm sure you're a very lovely conversation partner to have over a candlelit dinner, alright? I'm not insulting you." He was saying all of this hurriedly between bites of the absolutely heavenly pie.

"I... I can do a practice date. Whatever that is." Wasn't that basically a real date? He was pretty sure he'd read a ludicrous amount of fanfiction on this topic alone, where the practice dates and the practice kissing almost always turned into homoerotic tension followed by messy emotional confessions.

Ugh.

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

Oliver positively attacked the pie and the corners of Horace's lips twitched. "Do you want to have a candlelit dinner with me, then?" He took a bite of pie.

"We cannn... hm. Either you take me out or I take you, which would you like?"

melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

"Not really," He huffed, still voraciously inhaling the pie slice as a sort of filler for the awkwardness he was experiencing. After a while he couldn't put it off any longer, mostly because the plate was suddenly clean, and now he couldn't use stuffing his face as an excuse. He sighed.

"Do you really think I have the funds necessary to pay for two people?" He finally said, expression sidelong as he glanced away. "Anyway, if we go anywhere, I can at least pay for myself." Just not, y'know, both.

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"Ouch, I'm hurt." He clutched his chest for a moment. "But I get it - you'd rather go with Elliot. Practice." Horace's pie, however, wasn't finished, and he took another bite. Moderation, kids.

He shot Ollie a look. "Of course I'm paying, regardless of who took who out. I'm not ridiculous." Horace knew Oliver was kind of a broke student and he wasn't, so it only made sense.

melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

Hey! Careful there Horace, Elliot Labelle was a sore spot and it showed as much on his face. "We did go out on candlelit dinners, you idiot." Except, the ones in the other universe weren't quite as genuine, they were more like filler, like just a thing to do. Ollie didn't mind, mostly, because he'd never turn down a free dinner, especially if the quality was good, but it still kind of sucked knowing all the lovey dovey s**t was just an act. He felt like a movie prop sometimes.

This Elliot was a lot better in that regard, if only because steakhouse dinners had turned into midnight IHOP runs and any notion of "candlelit" was replaced with the florescent glow of Denny's light bulbs.

"I guess if you really want to though..." He scuffed his foot idly against the ground.

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"Hmm," he said, thoughtfully. It was kind of weird to hear that, considering how Oliver didn't seem particularly interested in romance. Or something.

"Of course I want to." He wrinkled his nose at Ollie and made an odd little huffing noise that could be a laugh. "Oliver Beaumont, will you go on a candlelit date with me?"

melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

That made Oliver's cheeks flush. "Y-You're so dumb!" He stomped over to the sink, the plate and fork in his hands discarded haphazardly against the stainless metal bottom. The sound rang out. "I told you, if you want to."

He could already guess the follow up to that question—Well, do you want to?—and he spoke again to counteract it, "I guess it'd be alright... but you're paying." His cheeks puffed out a little, "And paying! You offered! And you better make me feel special." The last part was cheeky sarcasm, but it slipped out anyway.

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"You like it when I'm dumb." Horace followed Oliver and set down his plate next to the sink - just an excuse to get really close without touching. Making Ollie flush might be one of his new favorites pastimes, he decided.

"Yep, I'm paying and paying." He grinned. "Said I would. And I'll make you feel like the luckiest man alive. Want flowers?" Horace was big on first date little gift things, but he already knew what he'd grab for Oliver.

melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

"Flower...?" Oliver's brow knit into confusion as he looked up at Horace, noting the close proximity that they suddenly were sharing. "You're sure this is just practice?" He was teasing, but in the same breath... it seemed like Horace was really going all out for this. Maybe he was just an all or nothing kind of guy? This was the man who's first thought was to mangle his hand via 'rouge tonfa usage' rather than finding a more economical way back home, so...

"I mean, so long as they don't smell..." He relented after a moment, "Certain aromas trigger my headaches." His hands played lamely with one another as he admitted such The candles in his apartment, for example, were all soft scents. Things like linen and sunshine.

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

Horace flushed and averted his eyes for a moment. "Of course, but practice should strive for perfection anyway, right? I said I'd make you feel special." Scentless flowers, huh? He could do that.

"That sounds like a pain - and causing you a headache on our first d- practice date would leave a bad impression." He slanted a grin at Oliver, getting his embarrassment under control. "When do you wanna do it?"

melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

"I suppose." Oliver said quietly, his voice somewhat soft. He averted his own gaze too, blue eyes cast downward as he thought about what to say next. Oliver was a methodical creature; anyone who knew him would know that. A simple search of his face would show that he always put way too much foresight into his next move. Life isn't a game of chess Oliver, calm down.

"To be fair," He said after a moment, "It isn't like the headaches are completely avoidable. I have medication for it." He made a vague motion towards... somewhere. Probably the bathroom. "It isn't that I don't enjoy things like that, I just have to be careful." He sounded rueful almost? There was probably some analogy here about roses and their thorns and being so beautiful but impossible to touch, but it passed. "Anyway, how about..."

His face darkened. Right. "The twenty-first is coming up, isn't it..." Oliver's lips curved into a slight frown. "It'd have to be after that, then." He looked up at Horace, "You got the invitation for that too, didn't you?"

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

Horace shot Oliver a weird look. "It sounds like it sucks." He paused. "I'm not going to bring you something that might hurt you, medicine or not."

Then Horace groaned. The stupid meeting. "Yeah I'm gonna go. I feel like I really don't have a choice." Be there or be square and uninformed and useless. "So... that means you're not allowed to, like, keep over at the meeting, okay? I need you alive and I'm no necrophiliac."

melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

"It does," And then it was Oliver's turn to give Horace a weird look, especially with how he reacted to the topic of the meeting. Sure, Oliver didn't want to go either, but... he realized he didn't know Horace's stance on magic. Yeah he was magic himself, but Oliver had never seen Horace cast... aside from the static shocks, he supposed, but those were unintentional... mostly.

Whatever.

"Relax." He leaned back against the counter, "I'm not the type to charge headfirst into danger." I'm just the type where danger typically finds me first. "Plus, I'm a moonwalker you know. I'm stronger than I look."

The Semblance of Unity