Nightshift 27: M12

[bond_off_lame]

If anyone had been waiting outside M12’s door they would’ve been sorely disappointed to find out that the entire room was unoccupied. However, there seemed to be several slips of paper poking from underneath the door, all conveying the same message just in case someone decided to take one for any reason. If they choose to pull one of the slips out

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[part1of3]

In a terrifying, naked moment of self-doubt, Ashton was sure that Dias hadn't leaned in intentionally - and that short span of time that Dias had frozen up, Ashton wanted quite a bit to curl up and die. If the surgery hadn't broken him, some sudden coldness from Dias' side would surely have undertaken that brutal job. He was panicking, but was busy savoring the moment until Dias pushed him off, what was sure to be the last time he'd ever be near the man he adored again-

And then Dias' mouth started to return the kiss. No, no, he was starting to share it - no, whatever it was, it didn't matter what the words were. There were no intelligible words in Ashton's head right now.

He simply couldn't believe it.

He.. he couldn't believe he'd just... up and done that, that he'd worked up the impossible courage to do what he'd dreamed of for so long. He'd never imagined it to be as intimate and personal as this, though, with Dias' strong arms cradling him, and both of them completely unskilled at this but not really caring.

Xigbar and Luxord had done little to prepare Ashton for this first true kiss, but honestly the swordsman preferred it that way.

How long had Ashton waited for the Dias in his own time and this Dias - his Dias - to feel like this? It was irrelevant now, because here he was, locked in the embrace of his friend-but-more-than-friend. Whatever they were, whatever this made them. Of course this would change things, but Ashton was too absolutely high right now to care.

His eyes opened to half-mast, then all the way, as if disbelieving what he was doing. Their lips parted; Ashton took a much-needed breath.

Now he was supposed to say something, he knew this - but all he could do was gently brush his hand back across Dias' cheek and into his hair, in total awe. Maybe.. actions really did speak louder than words.

[heavens_too_far]

Having finally acknowledged the fact that he wanted to kiss Ashton, Dias found himself disappointed when the opportunity to do so seemed to pass surprisingly quickly. And, as was normal for Dias, when Ashton pulled away he immediately wondered if something was wrong - if he'd responded too late or his inexperience had led him to do something incorrectly or if (most likely) Ashton had come to his senses and was now going to start babbling apologies about his being so forward. But if he'd made any critical mistakes, or if Ashton regretted his boldness, the younger man remained silent about it; a gentle hand slid into his hair as Ashton stared at him as if he'd never seen Dias before. Or, perhaps, as if this was the way he'd wanted to see Dias for a long time and hadn't been able to until now.

Dias met Ashton's gaze briefly, directly, before glancing away; he was certain that, for one of the few times in his life, he was blushing. As someone who had gone to such lengths to perfect what limited skills he possessed, it was somewhat humiliating to be revealed as so inept in this area...especially in front of Ashton, who had always idolized Dias far more than he had any real reason to. Dias felt as if he ought to be able to offer better to him, at the very least.

"Sorry," he muttered. "I've never done that before."

[part1of3]

For all it was worth, Ashton was still rather in shock. He still couldn't believe that he'd been the one to close the distance (though Dias had leaned in first,) and he was preparing to wake up any minute now as if this most recent experience, in its entirety, was a simple dream.

It felt like a stray Thunderbolt spell had hit him that moment that he'd pulled away - Dias' eyes, his lips, everything about him was electric. And he was finding himself utterly disappointed when Dias shifted his gaze.

But Ashton's triumphant, awed look fell right back into his usual embarrassment at Dias' words. Was this something Dias regretted? And.. blushing? This was way too unusual - had Ashton done something wrong? He wanted to kiss him again, but until he had a definite sign that Dias liked it.. he'd.. he'd hold off. He didn't want to be like Xigbar.

"I.. um. I couldn't tell. I mean, it wasn't that noticeable. Not that I wasn't paying attention, because I was, definitely, and it was great, but, um, I mean - I'd never - wait, you never..?" He wasn't sure whether or not this surprised him. He'd already learned that Dias had never been on a date, which already seemed weird for someone who looked like that, so it shouldn't really have surprised him to hear that someone who'd never dated had never kissed someone, but..

"Uh, well. I mean, I guess it's, uh, something that takes practice, so neither of us - I.. uh.." he murmured. If Ashton was any more forward of a man, this would have been an obvious proposition, but he was so earnest in his words - he'd find a way to get better for Dias. If Dias even wanted to repeat that experience, anyway.

[heavens_too_far]

Ashton's stammering was so disjointed that Dias could scarcely make sense of it at first. The most he could glean from it was a general sense that Ashton had approved of the kiss - however awkward Dias might have been at it - and that he was taken aback by the fact that it had been Dias' first. Everything else was just the white noise of the younger man's anxiety that the mercenary had, over time, become accustomed to.

Ashton's second attempt at a statement, however, was much clearer, and Dias raised an eyebrow. "You think we should practice on each other?" he asked, bluntly. Honestly, it wasn't such a bad idea...certainly not one he minded terribly.

[part1of3]

Dias' words made Ashton pause as he wondered exactly what Dias was saying. It wasn't as if the words weren't entirely obvious, really, and rather devoid of insinuation, but what if Dias was being too obvious? Ashton certainly didn't think that Dias would say such a thing to make fun of him, but something like this was almost too good to be true.

Still - Ashton wasn't like Claude. He wasn't the type to play this situation cool. So - he stuttered, "I- it- ah- w-well, Dias, you and I- we-" He finally spit it out. "Yes, ah, I think.. that would be.. tops." He finished off with a gentle nod, but didn't move any closer. He didn't honestly have the energy to do so again without a struggle.

That hand in Dias' blue hair, though, was ever-so-gently working its way to the back of his friend's head.

[heavens_too_far]

"I assumed you did," Dias replied, not quite as wryly as he would have had he been talking to anyone else. "Since it was basically your idea." It was odd how nice Ashton's hand in his hair felt; it had been years since anyone had run fingers through his hair. Hell, probably no one had done it since Cecille had died; she'd always liked to play with his hair sometimes with disastrous results. So had Rena, but Rena hadn't really had the chance since then. It was a sensation Dias had always associated with comfort and security and being with the people he loved.

Experiencing it with Ashton felt...less awkward than perhaps it should have. Could he have been deluding himself that much as to the extent of his feelings for the other man, or was there just something in particular about his friend that made it seem somehow natural?

After a pause, he nodded slightly. "...I don't mind. It was - nice." Dias wasn't exactly effusive in his descriptions, but given how desperately and how long Ashton had been waiting to hear something exactly like that, the younger man probably couldn't have cared less how he said it, so long as he did. And now he had.

This time, when Dias leaned in, it actually was to kiss Ashton. And it was a little less of a fumbling attempt than last time; learning fast had always been one of Dias' particular talents.

[part1of3]

Basically his idea? But.. wait, hadn't Dias leaned in first..? The thought made Ashton's eyes widen. It was entirely possible that Dias hadn't wanted it at all at first. But then.. he had, so it didn't really matter that much, did it..? ..Did it?

But then Dias called it 'nice.' Kissing him.. Dias had called the kiss .. nice. Nice. Like.. nice nice. Not nice as in 'I'm going to go out to a steakhouse and order a nice salad' nice, but nice as in the kind of nice that Ashton was feeling, like I wouldn't mind doing it again nice. Like-

Like oh Tria oh Tria here's Dias kissing me again nice.

If there had been any doubt at all remaining in Ashton's mind as to how Dias felt about kissing him, it was completely erased now. And it was more.. assertive than it had been, on both of their accounts. Each kiss looked like it was going to get progressively better, more skilled..

Sure, practice was supposed to make perfect, but things didn't look like they could possibly get much better right now. Ashton was pulling Dias' head closer and leaning into the kiss, and everything seemed so eternal. Like everything was in the right place.

Dias was kissing him tenderly, and all was one hundred percent right with the world.