Chapter Text
Lilia was right: Silver did sleep very well that night. So well that he ends up waking up late, and that's only after the attempts of many of his dormmates to get him to wake up. Sometimes, pulling Silver from his slumber can be a whole hassle... Once he's come to his senses, he has the mind to apologize for the trouble he put everyone through. They just grumble and rush off to class, because they're losing precious time to get there if they just stand around. Silver is quick to join them.
He's quite awake, a fact which leads Kalim to poke him and whisper (horribly, as, again, Kalim is not that great a whisperer), "You're in a different kind of mood today. And as far as I can tell… it seems like a pretty good one! What's up?"
"Can we talk later? Now's not the time. You really should focus more in class, and maybe you'd do a whole lot better."
Kalim winces at his friend's brutal honesty. "Ouch, you sound like Jamil when you say that. But alright, I get it. Class is in session. We can talk later, back at mine. Cool?"
"Yeah. Cool."
Before he knows it, half the day is gone, and he's in the cafeteria. Normally, nobody dares to approach the table at which the Diasomnia gang sit. They sort of have a reputation of being intimidating and unapproachable. Today, that changes. It comes as no surprise that Jade is the one to approach them. There's not even a hint of fear within him. He must be awfully sure of himself...
"I thought it would do me well to say hello," he says with a smile. "No doubt you've heard already what transpired last night?"
Lilia beams at him. "Why, yes we have. I would like to formally congratulate the both of you. It must be wonderful to be in love... You both deserve the best. That should mean you treat each other the best, hm?"
Jade bows slightly. "I had no intentions of ever treating him less than perfect, and I still don't. He is in good hands."
Silver sighs and leans over to whisper to Lilia, "You're behaving like the fathers in those cliche shows. You know, the ones where the protagonist is a girl who falls in love with a guy?"
Lilia chuckles and whispers back, "Come, now, what's the issue? I'm looking out for the two of you and wishing you well on your new relationship. Surely there is nothing wrong with that. Unless... Aww, you're embarrassed."
Silver coughs to signal the end of their conversation and returns his attention to Jade. Bless that boy's soul, he's still standing by pleasantly and patiently. He clearly has more to say than a simple greeting to them all.
"Did you want something else?" Silver asks, doing his best to ignore the array of emotions radiating from Lilia beside him.
"Only to ask if you would see me at the Mostro Lounge tomorrow night. If you wish to reschedule, or if it is not a suitable location to meet at... I would understand and comply with your wishes. So, what say you, dearest Silver?"
He hums, holding a hand to his chin as he thinks. "You say tomorrow? That... should work."
Jade beams at him in a way that sends his stomach fluttering. "Wonderful! I quite look forward to our date, then." And with that, he turns tail and walks off toward his own table.
Silver can feel his face burning once he's realized what he's agreed to. He doesn't dare turn his head. Lilia is no doubt giving him a look that he would rather not be met with. Silver loves him, he really does, but sometimes, he can be really embarrassing. It's a parent thing.
Later in the day, he arrives at Kalim's. Not long after stepping into the Scarabia lounge, Silver's ears pick up a low, gentle sound, accompanied by laughter that is distinctly Kalim's. He quickly finds that he is not the only one that his friend has invited over this time around. It's… Not quite what Silver would have expected to see.
"Hi, Silver!" Kalim calls to him with a wave. "Sorry... I forgot Ruggie would be here. Come on, over here! He doesn't bite, y'know?"
Ruggie lifts his head from Kalim's lap to bare his teeth, then burst into laughter. "Shyehehe, he's right. Come on, why do you look so surprised?"
Silver stares down at the ground. "I apologize for the interruption... I had no idea the two of you were..."
Ruggie raises an eyebrow. "Woah, I'm gonna stop you right there, man. This isn't what you think it is. Kalim invited me over because we're pals, just the same as you."
Silver casts the hyena a look of what he hopes comes off as disbelief. "I wasn't aware it was a friend thing to lay your head in the other's lap while they play with your hair."
Ruggie's cheeks burn as he indignantly replies, "Well, you've never had friends before then."
Kalim ignores Ruggie's embarrassment and once again waves Silver over. "He'll come around soon. I'm happy to have him! Now, come on, I thought we were going to continue with what I was trying to ask about earlier."
Slowly, Silver comes over and sits down on a cushion across from Kalim, who's returned to carding his fingers through Ruggie's hair and positively beaming. This boy is really putting the sun out of its job, isn't he? Not even Ruggie, who comes off as remotely selfish at times, can resist him. Here he is now, snuggled up to Kalim like he belongs there. Now that Silver is thinking about it, his friend did seem to have a thing for this Savanaclaw student lately. All of this makes sense now. He's just honestly surprised Ruggie's gone along with it so willingly.
"Silver!" Kalim calls to him, waving his hands in front of his face to get his attention. "Silver, you've got a look on your face. What's up?"
"I… have a date tomorrow…" Silver tells him breathlessly. "With Jade..."
Kalim nearly squeals from this news. "Ooo, good luck, you two. Congratulations!" He raises an eyebrow and looks down at Ruggie.
"What?"
"We should go on a date one day!"
Ruggie looks shocked beyond belief at this suggestion. "We- We aren't even- Huh?!"
This is amusing. Silver can tell they're happy with each other, and he couldn't ask for anything else for his friend. Everything in life at the moment seems to be going just right. It's a little unsettling to think about. Something had to go wrong eventually, at this rate. That's how it works, right?
He shakes his head to clear away these thoughts. No, he absolutely should not be overthinking and stressing about things going wrong. He should be grateful for the streak of peace and joy that seems to be going on.
Silver can't hold back a giggle. "Maybe we should have another date later and invite you two. A double date, if go will."
Kalim's eyes light up. "You mean it?! That would be a whole lot of fun!" He cranes his neck to press his forehead against Ruggie's. "Wouldn't it?"
Ruggie closes his eyes and shrugs. "Whatever floats your boat is fine by me, sunshine."
Kalim returns his attention to Silver. "So? Do you wanna talk about it? You know, how you ended up getting a date with Jade?"
Silver lifts his gaze as he speaks. "Simple. He was the one to ask me out first. Feelings have been reciprocated. I'm..." He tilts his head and smiles fondly. "I'm very excited for it. It was last night that he apologized for the confusion surrounding the note he gave you for me, and then he confessed. He even… bought me flowers..."
He snaps his head up and makes the tiniest sound of frustration. Ugh, not another drowsy spell. At least he's fought it off. Now is not the time to doze off. It would be horribly rude to go and do that when he's been invited over.
"It was better than I could have ever dreamed of. And now look where we are. Maybe he isn't the greatest person there is out there, but he is wonderful to me."
Kalim grins. "And I think that that's all that matters. I hope your date tomorrow goes well!"
Azul looks Jade up and down with an expression of fond amusement. "You look even neater and more dressed up than usual, if such a thing is possible. I do understand. I'm sure I was as fussy about getting ready as you are when I went on my first date. What a night it was… I wish you very well on your date tonight, Jade. You two agreed to meet at the Mostro Lounge, did you not?"
"As far as I know, that is still the plan, yes," Jade murmurs. "I wonder which of us will show up first." He chuckles. "Sure, I have no idea how Silver is going about getting ready. Still, I wouldn't be surprised, though, if I end up being the one to show up late, with how particular I am being…"
He's fine. He looks fine, there's nothing to keep fussing over. Maybe he's worried about appearances so much because to him, this is huge. It's huge because that's all he's ever heard about relationships and first dates on land. Surely Silver wouldn't judge him so sorely for the way he's styled himself, but it's still important to him. Unlike Floyd, who would show up to a (hypothetical) date however the hell he wanted to. And Sevens help whoever he would (hypothetically) be going out with.
"Floyd seems to be in a wonderfully productive mood tonight," Azul remarks.
Jade nods. "So he seems to be. It is much better than the alternative, and it is very good that he is. After all, I cannot guarantee I will be of much service tonight."
"My, my, I do expect to be thanked for all I've done for you since you decided to pursue that boy you love so much."
Jade just grins at him and replies with, "Do you, now?" before finally heading out.
Upon reaching the entrance to the Lounge, Jade finds Silver standing patiently with his hands folded in front of him. All he can do when he sees him is smile. Why, he would be out of his mind not to smile at sweet, beautiful, gentle, kind Silver… Ah! Now is not exactly the time to let his mind wander with such thought. That could always be done later. At this moment, he should be leading his darling inside and to their table.
Jade bows and holds out his hand for Silver to take it. He does. He laces their fingers together and looks at Jade with the warmest auroral gaze. It truly makes his heart soar to think that it is he who is being looked at in this way. Silver could be with anybody else, maybe should be, even, but here he is, holding Jade's hand.
"I've reserved us the best table in the house," Jade tells him. "After all, I know the right strings to pull, and I want only the best for you."
Silver, who's known to be a hardly expressive guy, smiles at him. "That is very kind of you, Jade."
"Please, it's the least I could do to make this special for you. You deserve it all."
"I'm happy you asked me out at all. I'd never really thought anyone would."
Jade is mildly offended by this and tightly squeezes Silver's hand. "Why wouldn't I? Did I not confess to having feelings for you? Must I list everything about you that I love? I swear to you I could and absolutely will should needs be."
Silver's cheeks begin to flush, and he turns away and murmurs, "Just... lead on."
Jade escorts him to their reserved table, and the two of them sit down. Neither person says anything for a good few minutes. They just stare across the table at each other, speechless. This moment is happening. They're living in it, but neither of them can quite believe that it's true. All of this still feels like some sort of dream.
Eventually, Silver picks up the menu and begins to scan it. He looks away from it after a while to ask, "Is there anything you would recommend?"
Jade can't help but laugh. "I work here, darling. You wouldn't think I would recommend just about anything to you? Why don't you find something that looks good to you? I would share anything with you. But... I would still order for myself... As that would not be enough."
Silver snort laughs. "Hey, there is nothing wrong with having an appetite." He returns to scanning the menu while Jade speaks to the server who had taken to their table. The server nods along to what he says and heads off.
"You take your time, Silver," the eel tells him. "There is no rush at all. Quite the opposite. I will cherish every second I am in your presence, whether it be on silence or not."
A while later, Silver's decided on something to try. Jade already knew exactly what he wanted before even coming here, as he's very familiar with the menu by now. They have some time to themselves before the server rolls around again. It's quiet, but not an awkward sort of quiet. No, it's the silence between two people who are content just being with each other. Jade reaches his hand across the table to hold Silver's. His heart flutters when the boy grabs his hand and squeezes it.
"I can't say I've ever been here," Silver remarks as he takes another look around from where he's seated. "Not like this, anyway."
Jade raises an eyebrow. "No? Well, what do you think of it, then?"
"I think that it's a pleasant atmosphere. Strange, all things considered, but I enjoy it. It's a very convenient spot for a date, since it is on campus, but it's a lovely place nonetheless. My deepest respect goes to Azul for this."
"Ah, yes. Azul truly is a rather clever and ambitious man with many wonderful visions and the brains to carry them out. I suppose I respect him just the same. Not many his age are as successful as he is, now are they?"
The two of them carry on in conversation, weaving through topics whenever they came up. This goes on even throughout their meal and as they walk arm in arm out of the restaurant. Silver leads the way now; he says he has an idea. There's some place he wants to go, but he doesn't speak a word of where that is just yet, even urging Jade to close his eyes. The whole thing feels silly, but being in love makes you over the moon without a care in the world about what it looks like from an outside perspective.
"Tread slowly," Silver cautions him, wrapping one hand around his waist as they descend a staircase. "You cannot see, after all."
Jade chuckles. "Oh, and who's fault is that, might I ask? I can see perfectly fine, thank you, but someone insisted I obscure my view for the time being for the sake of a surprise."
"... It's better that way."
Eventually, Silver stops and tells Jade to open his eyes. He's lead them to the gates of Ramshackle Dorm, oddly enough. Of all the places there are, why would he take him here?
"The sky is clear tonight," Silver remarks. "Sebastian says he has a beautiful view of the stars from here. I thought I would take you to come see..."
"Oh... Is that so?" Jade looks up at the night sky to catch a glimpse of the stars in question. There seem to be hundreds of them, tiny pricks of light twinkling above without a care. "He's right... You can see them very well."
He looks beside him when he feels a weight fall onto his shoulder. Silver's leaned against him, eyes closed and smiling. Jade trembles as he pulls him as close as he can, as though the boy in his arms right now might burn out and vanish away like those stars above them.
"Thank you, Jade," Silver murmurs. "You've put to rest all my misgivings about you. I look forward to seeing you in the fu-"
Jade acts before he can give it much thought. He cups his hands around Silver's cheeks and pulls their faces a mere inch away. It startles him at first. His auroral eyes stretch wide as he meets Jade's mismatched gold gaze.
"Forgive me," Jade pleads with him before boldly eliminating that gap between them, screwing his eyes shut.
I messed it all up, didn't I? How could I let myself ruin this when it was going so well? How could I let myself give in to the urge to-
That's as far as his thoughts go before his brain shuts down. Silvers melted into the hasty kiss and doesn't seem to want to let go. He's turned something charged with desire into something gentle and sickeningly sweet. The shining stars blink and twirl in their way as the lovers on the ground below hold each other like they're the only ones alive. Like they truly have all the time in the world.
They do. If they exercise patience and kindness, this could be something that lasts. They could have a future filled with more moments like this, where all that matters is each other.
"The moon is most beautiful tonight," Jade cooes once they've come apart.
Silver's brows furrow as he scans the sky for it. "I don't believe it's visible tonight, Jade."
Jade turns to him with the softest, most lovesick eyes he's ever looked upon another being with. "I know. To me, you are the moon, and I am the waves of the ocean. We belong together, Silver. It's written in the stars. I know what my future holds, for it is the very same as what I hold so dearly in my arms at present. You, my darling."
"I hope my future holds you as well, Jade."