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It was a beautiful, warm summer night on the Halcyon Fold. The sky was clear, allowing the stars to shine and twinkle to their greatest potential. In a clearing of the safe and protective nature of the allied jungle camp, Vox was found gazing at the stars longingly. He was sat upon a rock, with his arms behind him, supporting his weight. He had physically altered the surrounding sounds around him, tuning out the mumbled rumbling of machines from the allied base. Admiring the beauty of the night sky reminded him of the times his sister, Celeste, and himself lounged on top of the very top cars of the Ferris Wheel at Taizen Gates, where they could truly let their worries go and just enjoy the peace that they had to their selves.
Vox snapped back to reality for a moment when he realized that times like that would soon be hard to come by now that he started fighting on the Halcyon Fold. He furrowed his left brow and let out a deep sigh, then looked away from the sky, focusing his attention to the ground below him. A cricket began to chirp beneath him in the grass.
"Hey. Mind if I join you?" spoke a familiar voice.
Vox peered over his shoulder, startled at first, but then relieved to see that it was only just Taka. The two had only talked to each other a few times before, and even then it was only just small talk. Vox had, however, developed some feelings for Taka in the few times that they had spoken.
"Oh, H-hey Taka. No, I don't mind." Vox replied, his words stumbling out of his mouth.
He watched as Taka approached him and climbed up onto the rock and sitting about an arm's length away. Taka had his blades unequipped and the first two buckles of his coat undone, exposing the rest of his face. It was certainly something Vox had never seen before from Taka.
"So. What brings you here?" Taka asked, gazing over at Vox intently.
"Well, my sister and I used to stargaze a lot when we were younger since we were considered 'outcasts' to the rest of the world, and that was our only means of escape from reality." Vox paused to take a breath and rub the back of his neck. Taka nodded his head in acknowledgement, taking in the information. "But ever since we started fighting on the Halcyon Fold, we haven't had very many opportunities to do that anymore." he finished.
"I see. Usually I only stargaze to relieve myself of these crazy painful headaches that I get sometimes. Baths or hot meals usually help me out too, but stargazing seems to work out the best for me." Taka said.
Vox's lips formed into a genuine, kind smile for Taka, showing that he cared quite a lot for him. The two discussed some more about their lives before a once subtle but now strong silence broke through between the two. They became entranced with the stunning night sky, both following the patterns and swirls in the stars and pointing out constellations to themselves.
Eventually Vox felt confident enough to share how he really felt about Taka, but he was still a little anxious about how his crush would react. He swallowed hard and shut his eyes, mentally preparing himself to reveal how he truly felt.
"Taka," Vox inquired, letting a deep breath afterwards.
"Hm?"
"I've.. uh... I've liked you... romantically.. for quite a while now, I guess. I thought this would be an ideal time to say that." he stammered.
Taka smiled and let out a gleeful chuckle. He scooched over closer to Vox, to the point where their thighs were touching and their faces were only a mere hand's width away from each other. The two admired each other's facial features for quite some time as tension was building in the air between them. Then, Taka slid his right hand behind Vox's head and lead him into a sweet, comforting kiss. The kiss lasted quite a while until Vox was forced to break free for a breath of air, although he was enjoying it quite a bit while it lasted. He cleared his throat after a warm blush formed across his cheeks.
Vox looked up at his new love and smiled. Taka's tail was wrapped around Vox's backside, the tip of his tail resting lightly on Vox's right thigh. Taka slid his hand onto Vox's, in which Vox adjusted his hand to allow their fingers to be intertwined comfortably.
"I love you too, Vox." Taka cooed gently.