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]

"Not true!" Ashton said as indignantly as he could - which was still incredibly weak, truth be told. His eyes were wide in the darkness, and his jaw was stubbornly set. "There was Xigbar that first night, and all those times on the bulletin board - you're always looking out for me. I .. don't know what would have happened if you hadn't arrived then." Certainly nothing terrible, he was sure, as he had grown to trust Xigbar now, but at the time he'd been literally scared to death that more was going to happen

[heavens_too_far]

Ashton had finally looked up at him again, questioning and uncertain, and while Dias wished that for just once in his life Ashton could believe in his own strength as much as he had a right to, the fact remained that such an expression was normal for him. While Ashton might be acting slightly more bold than usual, it didn't seem connected to anything wrong with him, and he evidently was still thinking the same thoughts. Satisfied with that, Dias was about to sit back again when Ashton leaned forward and -

Dias' eyes widened as the thought slowly made its way across synapses that had been all but shocked into immobility. Ashton was kissing him. Of all possible eventualities, this had

[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

[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

[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

[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

[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