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[andthatscalledjazz]

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Uh, hello. Here's where you can drop messages, I guess. I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to put here.

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[disasdeer]

He knows. He knows the wolf didn't mean to upset him. He knew the wolf was sorry. He knew that Legosi understood he had upset Louis. Of course, most people would have seen that Louis was upset. He hadn't made attempts to connect with Legosi, even in the smallest ways, since that night. It's his most effective way of dealing with things - icing anyone he halfway cares about out of his life for a period of time.

But, just because he did something like that, didn't mean he understood what he wanted. He still had no real idea. But what he did know was that he didn't want to dodge Legosi any longer.

"Stop." He didn't want Legosi to babble himself through apologies or whatever he was doing.

He shifts, finding a seat just close enough so he can keep Legosi in his line of sight.

"I didn't come here for an apology or something stupid. And, if I'm totally honest, I still don't have an answer. Because I don't know."

That was hard enough for him to admit, so he'll let that fact settle in.

[andthatscalledjazz]

Stop. The gentle command made Legosi keep his mouth shut and perk his ears. His voice didn't sound... angry, at least. Legosi just had to give the deer the benefit of the doubt. Just let Louis speak.

And speak Louis did. But... huh? What did he say? Legosi gave a few confused blinks. The wolf had to replay the deer's words a few times just to make sense of what he said. And, even after he did, he still didn't know quite what Louis was saying. Louis didn't have an answer? He didn't know? Legosi quickly pieced it together for himself so that he didn't just stare at Louis blankly.

He changed the way he was sitting to buy himself a little more time. This was about what happened in the cabin. Legosi pushed his feelings onto Louis... Oh! Louis didn't have an answer on his own feelings! Because he... didn't know what his feelings were? That sounded right. Legosi looked over Louis' features. "So, you don't know how you feel about me?"

Given what he knew about Louis, maybe that made sense. Part of him wished he'd been more patient with the deer. No, no, Legosi couldn't just sit in a pile of regret. Move forward, wolf. "Uh, it's... it's okay that you don't know. Um, whenever I first thought I liked Haru..." All that time ago. "I didn't really know what my feelings were. Uh, not that you're the same. But, for me, it took me awhile to know exactly what my feelings were. At first, I thought I just wanted to be friends with her and make up for attacking her, but, it just sort of snowballed from there. There was even a moment where I thought I could separate from her, early on. I could just cut the ties and pretend like it didn't happen, like I didn't have them and we'd move on... but she found me and those feelings came right back to the surface."

He sheepishly chuckled and scratched the back of his head. "A-Again, not that this applies to you. I guess I just wanted to... relate to you."

[disasdeer]

He stopped, briefly. But then he spoke again and it's not helping. It's not helping Louis work through the confusion that has made a home in him. It settled into some pit in his stomach that isn't going away for whatever reason and he hates it. He hates not knowing how he feels or how to act. Because Louis always knows how to behave. He has always known what he wanted. He always knew what he was going to fight for. He knew what he wanted the world to become, and what change he wanted to influence.

But Legosi? He didn't know.

In many ways, he cared for the wolf deeply and beyond his care for anyone else. While he may have a giant wall surrounding him, sometimes he gave Legosi a door. One he could lock from time to time, one he could still control. But it was still there. And although it was locked right now, Louis...might crack a little.

He's trying to, at least. And it's really hard for him to show anything that might hint at weakness.

"It doesn't apply." It's different. Because with Legosi, they're already friends. Their bond already had evolved past the place of exploring what that bond meant. And Louis learned that they were well beyond any option to cut ties.

There wasn't a lot of other places to go when you felt more strongly towards someone than friendship allowed.

And though he told Legosi that it didn't apply, his tone is still soft and confused. "What I mean is, I don't know how I feel, yes. But I don't know that I will if I do nothing about it, too. So," he almost can't believe he's saying this.

"I will give you a chance. Given that, I do have rules."

[andthatscalledjazz]

Legosi was trying to be careful. He was trying to pace himself and be careful. If he didn't, he'd just say something dumb and it'd get worse and then Louis might close off again.

At least that was the initial train of thought, right? But, Louis was just as capable at throwing rogue surprises and haymakers to the best laid plans. Legosi forgot that sometimes. Even while he was making sense of Louis' soft, yet slightly confusing words, Legosi still forgot that.

That was how his next two sentences caught Legosi as off guard as a punch to the face.

I will give you a chance.

Every step forward with Louis so often felt like two steps back. Legosi may have been waiting for the negative. The fallout. The lashback. But, it was just... hope? Moving forward? There were caveats, sure, but, it's not like Legosi expected differently from Louis! He couldn't help it; his tail immediately started wagging. "Y-You will? That's- You're- Haha, I mean..." Legosi straightened a bit and got himself under control, trying to give a more mature nod. "Go ahead and, uh, give your rules?" God, he wanted to rush right over and hug Louis until the deer pried him off.

[disasdeer]

Louis stood. He took a couple careful steps towards the wolf and reached his hands up to grip his muzzle. He wanted to make sure Legosi's eyes were on him. And while he knows he can get the wolf's attention in just a small, quick request. But this way he knew there was no change. No opportunity. Even as he heard the way the other's tail thumped as it wagged.

"It's really only one thing," he says it steadily. "I don't want to deal with any sort of jealousy here." The nature of his place, the way that things operated here.

It was unlikely he'd only ever be involved with Legosi.

"I can't have you thinking my willingness means you have any sort of claim on me."

But even as he grips the wolf's face like this, there's Synchrony. And that's something. It's so easy with Legosi because there's already something there deep and buried and Louis damn well knows that the way that he cares for Legosi does extend beyond simply friendship.

"Do you think you can handle that, Legosi?"

[andthatscalledjazz]

Legosi's eyes couldn't move away from the deer at the moment even if he wanted to. Louis' normal radiance and presence didn't even contribute, this time. It just felt like nothing else existed. The seriousness of his expression and the even tone of his voice... their closeness also allowed Louis' scent to tickle at his nose. His attention was solely on listening to Louis, but his other senses just relished in being so encompassed by the deer.

Jealousy... claim... Legosi knew, deep down, what that meant. Even for all his obliviousness and stupidity sometimes, he could piece that together. Louis might become involved with others. Might make other connections. That beast inside wanted to just grab Louis and never let go, but... Legosi had long since stopped listening to the beast. This was about the walls Louis had built up. Louis was giving him a doorway. A way in.

Legosi raised his hand up to rest on Louis' chest, gently spreading his fingers across and trying to feel the deer's heartbeat. "I can... I can try to handle it. I can train myself, if I have to. Like I did with resisting meat. I know that you've never been all mine. Probably never will. You're too... Louis to just submit to anything like that. But... if I could be yours, sometimes, that's all I could ask." Legosi didn't know how much warmth was translating through his beady eyes, but he hoped Louis could feel the care that the wolf had for him. "I can handle anything for you."

[disasdeer]

Louis feels... surprisingly calm. Calm when Legosi's large, clawed fingers spread over his chest. Calm when Legosi makes such a confession. Calm because Legosi is going to try, but Louis had a feeling he would if he wanted this... this badly. He thinks maybe his heart should be pounding in his chest, maybe he should feel stressed, uneasy, or strange about everything happening here. Whatever -- this is. He doesn't know what to quite call it yet. That's a thing to navigate another time, he thinks, though.

"I know you'll try."

It sounds so... easy. Legosi makes it sound so easy. But, the wolf also knew that if he acted out of line, Louis wouldn't tolerate it for long. He'd have to work harder to earn him back. So. He knew he'd try.

So he leans a little, gripping the wolf's face tight, and gives him a kiss. It's soft, affectionate, and chaste. Way more chaste than a lot of thing's he's done. And there it is again. That warm, pleasant Synchrony.

[andthatscalledjazz]

If Louis felt an unnatural calmness, Legosi felt like his fur was on fire. Maybe it was their differences as predator and prey. Maybe it was Louis' calm in tense social situations while Legosi found his cool under pressure happening in the heat of a fight. Maybe, maybe, maybe... The potential reasons sped through his mind, but they halted in place.

Louis kissed him. It was like his mind short circuited. The first thought that came through... was how different it was kissing Louis to Haru. The shape of his muzzle, the feeling of his fur, the way Louis' hands framed his face... The next thought was how shocked he was that Louis made the first move. It always felt like Legosi was having to take the lead for any affection between the two. But, now, maybe, they were on the same level.

Legosi pushed back against the kiss with his own muzzle, trying to demonstrate his own return of warmth. But, maybe a little less soft. Legosi wasn't exactly the master of subtle actions.

[disasdeer]

It was quiet - Legosi was quiet, Louis was quiet. And Louis...ultimately he really liked that about the kiss. He liked that it felt like everything was still, even as Legosi returned it - pushed back towards him. Louis hadn't been expecting that for some reason. Why hadn't he expected that? It seems silly, since Legosi definitely was the first one to realize that he had wanted this. And kissing like this?

Louis had kissed Juno before. And he had kissed his wife. With Azuki it was always so lackluster and empty.

Louis liked it. He liked having a kiss returned from someone who wanted it. Who made the choice all on their own to be here.

His heart raced. He felt warm from the inside out.

So he pulled away, regaining his mental composure as quickly as possible.

It was nice. Surprisingly so. But he had to keep his cool, regardless.

"You sap."

[andthatscalledjazz]

And just like that, it was over. Legosi gently blinked, still caught in the haze of the moment. He almost wondered if it really happened, but, looking at Louis as he called the wolf a sap... Yeah, it did. His tail furiously wagged behind him on reflex. "Uh, am I? I mean, you kissed me, so, uh..." Legosi's muzzle skewed before falling into a smile and a chuckle. "Yeah, guess I am one."

Really, Louis could've called him anything in that moment and he might've agreed to it. He felt like he was floating. "So, um, you... did you like it?" His ears perked curiously. He was pretty sure Louis did, but, man, he wanted to hear Louis say it.

[disasdeer]

"It was fine," Louis offered with the same indifference as he usually has. He doesn't want to give too much, not quite yet. He's never been one to articulate how much he liked kissing someone. And he's pointedly attempting to keep as much of a wall around him that he can while still giving ways to get in. Honestly, he's not sure what Legosi expected him to say.

He probably wanted a true, proper answer.

But Louis wasn't going to give it to him.

"And you can't say things like that and not expect to be called a sap."

[andthatscalledjazz]

Louis' words said it was fine, but Legosi had other queues to draw from with the deer. His hand remained pressed against the deer's chest, so he had ample opportunity to feel the deer's heartbeat. He was still close enough to breathe in Louis' scent, too. All their time spent together, knowing the barrier that he put up... Maybe Louis didn't say what he really meant, but Legosi didn't need to hear it. He knew.

Legosi's smile just couldn't go away. "Is... there something wrong with being a sap?" Legosi hadn't been an overly emotional kid, so, being referred to like he was sentimental almost felt sort of nice. "I don't think I mind being one." If Louis didn't sprint towards intimacy, Legosi would just pick up the slack on that front. "So, um, we should definitely... do dates and stuff, right?" He sheepishly scratched his cheek. "I mean, uh, if you want to! It's totally up to you. I'd love to. Um, what... would you love to do?"

[disasdeer]

"If you want to go on a date, properly ask me to go on a date." It's not like he'd say no, anyway. He's here. Engaging with Legosi, and spending time with the wolf one on one like this. He even kissed him. He's going to let this - whatever this is - be this thing. Even if it includes dates. Even when Legosi is a sap. Even when Legosi says he wants to be Louis'.

He...doesn't know what to do with things like this. Truly.

This dumb wolf....

Louis really cares about him, and he has a hard time fully hiding that fact.

"You know. Tell me when, and where. That sort of thing."

[andthatscalledjazz]

Louis seemed to really be pushing for Legosi to take the reins here. Legosi wished that he was half as self-assured and decisive as Haru was. He could really steer things here. Part of him had hoped Louis would take the reins, but there they were. Louis seemed to be floundering a bit here and Legosi arguably had more experience. He'd hoist himself up and do it. For Louis.

"Well... I'd want it to be soon... We can go somewhere for dinner and then... walk around and talk? Maybe... down in the Ruby Underground?" It reminded him of sitting down with Haru after the incident with the Shishigumi. The warm light and the pleasant smells mingling together... Oh, right! Legosi's ears perked. "Oh! I need to ask- Right!" He cleared his throat and looked into Louis' eyes. His tail idly swayed back and forth behind him. "Louis? Would you go out on a date with me?"

That's... That's how he's supposed to do it, right?

[disasdeer]

"I will go on a date with you," Louis answered - almost immediately after the question was asked. He just wanted to hear that Legosi confidently wanted that. He's been so sappy about it, and so confident in his convictions so far that he didn't think it'd be hard for him, after all.

He didn't want to hear floundering. No 'if you want...' and 'what do you want...' because that doesn't help him at all.

There's an amused shift and he reached out a hand over Legosi's muzzle.

"That's exactly the way to do it."