Archive of Our Own ^beta

Ororon couldn’t sleep. 

…

Which wasn’t exactly an uncommon occurrence for him. He had trouble sleeping every night. It wasn’t because of insomnia, no. He didn’t have insomnia. It was due to him being a bat hybrid. He was naturally nocturnal, yet the majority of people on Teyvat were diurnal. If he wanted to have a proper life, he had to adapt because the world certainly wouldn’t adapt to him. However, he hadn’t quite gotten the hang of it despite trying to go to bed at the same time normal people did for the twenty years he’d been alive. That wasn’t to say he hadn’t made any progress because he had. He used to be up all night and sleep the entire day away, but now he managed to fall asleep around three or four in the morning and wake up whenever his Granny decided he’d been sleeping for too long. Things were better. The only problem was that it hadn’t been better as of late.

Recently, Ororon hadn’t been getting any sleep. Normally, when he couldn’t sleep, it was because he simply wasn’t tired, but that was a problem easily solved. He’d busy himself with tasks until he physically exhausted himself and then lie down to sleep. If that were the issue, he wouldn’t be awake right now at three thirty in the morning. The problem was that his mind was too busy to sleep. There were so many thoughts running through his brain, and no matter how he tried to shut them out, they wouldn’t stop.

What kind of thoughts were plaguing his mind? Thoughts about a certain person, a certain Fatui member, a certain Fatui member known by the name ‘Capitano.’ They had worked together back when Natlan was at war. If he had to put a label on their relationship at the time, they’d have been… colleagues. When the war ended, he supposed that this relationship of theirs would end, but much to his surprise, it hadn’t. Capitano had told him that he’d remain in Natlan for a while—due to a reason he could no longer remember—and that he was always welcome at the camp they had set up. And since Capitano offered, why wouldn’t he take him up on it?

Since then, he’d been visiting the Fatui camp to see Capitano every day, and each time he had the time of his life. It wasn’t as if they’d do anything particularly exciting, and yet he always enjoyed himself. Some days they’d talk and relax, but other times it was all about work, but he didn’t mind. He looked forward to each day knowing he’d get to see Capitano tomorrow. Whenever they had to part for the night, it made him a bit sad and left him struck with a sense of longing. It was exactly how he felt now.

A sigh escaped Ororon’s lips as he rolled over in his bed. He stared at the empty space beside him before slowly stretching out his arm and rubbing his hand across the area. His fingers brushed against nothing except soft yet cold bedding. How disappointing. He closed his eyes, recalling a not-so-distant memory. 

——-

“You’re cold?” A deep voice echoed, laced with amusement.

Ororon felt his face burn with embarrassment, his ears lowering as well. Although he couldn’t see Capitano’s face, the tone of his voice said it all. Capitano was amused. He saw right through that little lie of his. He pulled the covers up over his face despite the fact that there was no light in the room at the moment. Why had he even lied in the first place? He knew he was terrible at it. Everyone always told him so. He’d just made a fool of himself.

Slowly, he lowered the covers, shaking his head at the same time. He should just be honest. He never had a hard time doing so on a regular basis. The majority of the time he was so honest and blunt to the point it made people uncomfortable… but for some reason the thought of being honest now made him nervous. Still, he swallowed down that feeling and finally spoke.

”No…” He started, trailing off for a moment. “I’m not cold. I just… I thought it’d be nice to sleep with someone.”

”With someone?” Capitano repeated, a coaxing tone in his voice this time.

Again, Ororon felt his face burn. He told himself he’d be honest, and yet there he was lying once more. “I thought it’d be nice to sleep with you. If—if that’s okay with you,” he stammered, finally being honest.

Although he’d finally said it, part of Ororon expected to be questioned. He expected Capitano to ask him the question ‘why,’ and it wasn’t a question he was ready for because, honestly, he didn’t even know why. Just as he began to think of an answer to that question, Capitano’s voice brought a halt to that train of thought.

“Come.” 

One word. It was only one word, and yet that was all it took to have Ororon out of his bed in an instant. He hurried over to Capitano’s bed quicker than he probably should have, but it was too late to be worrying over that. He slowly slipped in next to Capitano, the bed dipping slightly in response to his weight, and settled down. A moment later, he felt covers being draped around his body, courtesy of the man beside him. For some reason, that simple action made his heart beat wildly in his chest. 

”Thanks,” he whispered, earning a simple hum in return. He knew that was Capitano’s way of saying ‘thank you,’ and it was enough. It was nice being next to Capitano, but not quite what he had in mind. He began to shuffle closer to Capitano, tentatively wrapping his arms around him. He was tense, waiting for any sort of rejection from the captain. He’d easily back off if it was necessary, but surprisingly, rejection wasn’t received.

Instead, he felt big, strong arms encompass his body and pull him impossibly closer… and oh. Ororon felt as if he might just explode. For the third time that night, he turned as red as a tomato, and his heart slammed into his chest as if it were desperate to escape his body. They were so close, pressed chest to chest. At this distance, couldn’t Capitano feel just how quickly his heart was beating? If he could, Capitano didn’t make that known.

”Goodnight, Ororon.” 

Those were the last words Capitano said to him that night. “Goodnight, Thrain,” he whispered back, laying his head down on Capitano’s shoulder. He nuzzled his face into the crook of Capitano’s neck, letting his eyes fall shut. Here, in Capitano’s arms… he felt cozy, comfortable, and, most importantly, safe. That night, he didn’t have any trouble sleeping for the first time in a long time. 

——-

That night was one Ororon thought about frequently. It’d been so nice to sleep next to Capitano, and he wished he was by his side right this second. He longed to be wrapped in his arms and pressed against his firm chest again. As the days passed, he found himself missing Capitano more and more whenever he was alone. He didn’t know why he enjoyed Capitano’s company so much. He just—no. No, that was a lie. He knew the reason—the reasons—because it wasn’t just one thing that made him love spending time with Capitano.

To put it simply, it was because of the way Capitano acted towards him. Capitano was kind to him. Few people were ever mean to him, but the way they acted towards him was different from the way Capitano did. The majority of people in the Masters of the Night Wind treated him like a child. Part of it was due to the fact that they were older than him, but even still that wasn’t an excuse. After all, he was no longer a child. He’d been an adult for two years, and yet their behavior towards him never changed. The other part of it was because they genuinely still viewed him as a child even though he’d grown up. He was still naive at times and could be slow to pick up on certain things, but he didn’t have the intelligence of a child. The fact that he was still treated as a child by his tribe was a bit insulting. 

Whenever there was a serious conversation, he was never truly involved. They’d keep the important details from him, they wouldn’t ask for his opinion on the matter, and they’d try to usher him off to do other things. They were nice, but they treated him as a child who should only be concerned with having fun and enjoying life. The only exceptions to that within his tribe were his Granny and Ifa. Outside of his tribe, there were more people he could list, but the only one that stood out was Capitano himself. 

Capitano went above and beyond. He didn’t just treat him as the adult he was. He treated him as an equal. Capitano wouldn’t keep information from him. He was honest when it came to serious matters, asked for his thoughts and ideas, and would even invite him along to solve the issue. That meant so much to him—more than Capitano could have ever imagined.

That aside, Capitano was very attentive when it came to him and treated him with the utmost respect. There’d been many times where he’d avoided an injury while out on a mission thanks to Capitano’s intervention. When he did end up injured, the man was the first one to take notice. Often times, Capitano would tend to his wounds himself, and when he couldn’t, he’d bring him to someone that could right away. That attentiveness also applied to the way Capitano spoke to him and allowed others to speak to him. Capitano was always very respectful when he talked with him, and if anyone, be it his subordinates or not, was disrespectful to him, he was the first one to say something about it.

Another thing that made Capitano’s company so enjoyable was the fact that he actually listened to him. It was safe to say that his interests were boring to the average person. He was very passionate about his vegetables and loved to talk about them. The majority of people would humor him. They’d let him talk, but they weren’t interested and weren’t really listening to him. They’d simply nod along or add a comment or two that held no substance… but Capitano wasn’t like them. No. Capitano paid attention to him even when he was rambling on about his vegetables. He made comments that held substance, asked questions, and even came to help him with his farm a few times. 

Capitano made him feel incredibly special—as if he were the most important person in the world. He was glad that he’d met him back during the war. Since then, Capitano had become such a big part of his life he wasn’t sure what he’d do without him. He wished that Capitano would never leave Natlan and that if he did, he would take him along with him wherever he went. He longed to be at his side all the time to spend each day with Capitano no matter what they ended up doing. He—

In an instant, he threw the covers off his body and sat upright in bed, letting out a shaky breath. Suddenly, it had hit him. The reason he’d been thinking about Capitano so much, the reason he enjoyed his company so much, the reason he longed to be by his side anytime they were apart, the reason even the slightest touch between them recently sent his heart drumming in his chest. Ah, how had it taken him this long to realize it? Love. The answer had been so simple the entire time. He was completely, utterly, and hopelessly in love with Capitano.

————

Banging on the front door was the first thing Ororon woke up to that morning. It pulled him out of sleep and right back to the waking world. A soft groan of displeasure escaped his lips as he cracked his eyes open slightly, everything blurry. Last night, he’d been certain he wouldn’t get a wink of sleep, but it had managed to take him by surprise at some point. He didn’t remember when it had happened, but it clearly hadn’t taken him soon enough because he felt incredibly groggy. There wasn’t a single ounce of energy in his limbs. He felt akin to a wet noodle floating around in a pot of water. If someone were to try and pull him out of bed, he’d just be dead weight and crumple down to the ground uselessly the moment they let him go.

He squeezed his eyes shut. He wanted to go back to sleep. It was probably fairly early in the morning—his internal clock normally woke him up early—so there’d be no harm in sleeping a little longer.

BANG BANG BANG

Oh, right. He had that to deal with. There was only one person who’d come banging on his door like that.

“Granny…” He intentionally whined out the word. He had learned that whining resulted in Citlali going easier on him fifty percent of the time. It was definitely worth a shot this time. He really needed that extra sleep. “I’m still tired. Can’t I sleep a little more, please? I’ll help you with whatever it is later, I promise…”

Citlali scoffed. She couldn’t believe the nerve of him! “Don’t you ‘Granny’ me, mister! Sleep a little more? It’s already noon! What? Do you plan to sleep the entire day away, huh? Leave your granny to do all the work herself?! Kids these days are always thinking…”

At that point, Ororon began to tune out all of the scolding. It seemed he hadn’t won the fifty-fifty today. Suddenly, he sat upright in bed as realization hit him. “Wait, noon?!” He shouted as he scrambled to get out of bed, falling onto the floor in the process with a loud ‘thud.’

“Yes, noon!” Citlali repeated, crossing her arms over her chest. “Geez, just how late did you stay up last night? You know, I’ve always told you…”

Once again, Ororon tuned out the incoming scolding. He had other things on his mind. He didn’t realize it was so late already! Last night had really messed with him. He was lucky if he ever managed to sleep in until ten! Sleeping in until noon was unheard of! Of course, getting extra sleep would be nice if he didn’t have plans for the day! Plans that he was now behind on because he’d managed to really sleep in for once!

Aside from helping Citlali with her work, he planned to see Capitano. He saw Capitano every single day as of late. They never spoke about meeting up or arranged to see each other at a certain time each day. It just sort of happened, and they stuck with it. And so, he would go see Capitano every day around ten in the morning, unless he had other matters to attend to, but when that happened, he let Capitano know the day before. This time, he hadn’t given Capitano any warning because he didn’t plan to be late at all!

Ah, this was bad! Aside from the fact that he was probably causing Capitano to worry about him, he intended to wake up early to prepare something for him. After realizing his feelings for Capitano, he decided he was going to confess right away. Now that he’d discovered how he felt, there was no way he could keep it a secret… and why should he? He had a pretty good feeling Capitano felt the same way about him, so the only thing left to do was to confess and take their relationship to the next level. 

The thing he intended to prepare for Capitano was a large fruit and vegetable basket. Now, Ororon gifted Capitano many vegetable baskets in the past, but this was different. This wasn’t just a vegetable basket. This basket was going to include fruits—something he’d never gifted to Capitano before. It was always just vegetables, vegetables, vegetables, because he loved his vegetables, but he did also grow fruits unbeknownst to many people. He just wasn’t as crazy about them as so many people didn’t realize. Aside from the inclusion of fruit, the basket would be much larger than any basket he’d given Capitano in the past. It’d truly be a one-of-a-kind basket.

Why was he preparing such a thing? Of course, it was because today would be a special day! It’d be the day they went from friends to a couple. He felt like it was only right to give Capitano something for it, but things were going so wrong already! He was way behind schedule!

He pushed himself up off the floor with a grunt and scrambled to the front door, slamming it open. “Granny! I’m sorry, but I can’t help you today! I’ve got something really important to do, and I’m already behind, and everything’s thrown off because of it! Why did this have to be the one day I managed to sleep in? Ah, I— Just ask Ifa to help you with your work today, okay? He’ll do it! He owes me, and I promise I’ll make this up to you, alright? I’m really not trying to skip out on work; this is very important to me! I really, really have to get started right away!” He rambled, panting heavily by the end of it.

A look of pure shock was strewn across Citlali’s face as she eyed Ororon, and for a moment there was nothing but silence.

Ororon was equally as silent, anxiously awaiting her response. He didn’t know if how desperate he appeared, coupled with the fact that he’d never pleaded with her so heavily for something before, had a part in it, but it seemed like he was being let off the hook.

Citlali crossed her arms over her chest and turned her back to Ororon with a ‘hmph.’ “Fine then! Run off and do whatever it is that’s so important! Who needs you? Who needs Ifa? Hah! This Granny can do the work all on her own!” She huffed, walking away while muttering something about ‘kids these days.’

Ororon let out a sigh of relief as Citlali walked away, a smile stretching across her face. He knew his granny well, and he knew she wasn’t truly upset, so he set off to prepare Capitano’s gift without any worries in his mind.

In an instant, he was in his garden with a large basket set out beside him. Slowly, he began to walk up and down the garden rows, scrutinizing each and every vegetable he had planted. This was a special basket. Only the best vegetables and fruits could be allowed inside. He spent around thirty minutes picking out fruits and vegetables for his basket and then another thirty minutes arranging them nicely within the basket before he was satisfied with it. He added a nice bow to finish off the basket and backed away to take a look at his work. The basket contained many cabbages since they were his favorite vegetable, a decent amount of radishes, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, apples, grapes, and pears. Lastly, there were also flowers nicely placed here and there to make the entire basket more visually appealing. He thought he’d done a great job, but now he has to get himself ready.

Rushing back inside, he quickly washed up and changed into his usual attire. Today was going to be a special day, but he didn’t think he needed to dress up for it. However, he did take the time to ensure his clothes weren’t wrinkly and his hair and fur were lying down smoothly. He thought that was enough. By the time he finished getting ready, another thirty minutes had passed. He had to go right away! 

After checking himself over one more time in the mirror, Ororon grabbed his hefty gift and dashed off to the Fatui camp right away. Luckily, the camp wasn’t far from the Masters of the Night Wind. He made it there after fifteen minutes, right at one forty-five, so in total he was only three hours and forty-five minutes late to meeting with Capitano today. That wasn’t so bad, right? … Oh, who was he kidding? It was terrible! He’d be sure to apologize right away.

A slightly panicked guard stood at the entrance to the Fatui camp, but his expression immediately eased upon laying eyes on the bat hybrid. “Ororon! Come on in, come! We’ve been expecting you! Come in, come in, the captain’s in his tent. Off you go!”

Ororon was absolutely bamboozled by Pierre’s actions. He couldn’t even get a word in before he was verbally and physically ushered into the camp. He was always welcomed within the camp, but he’d never been so urgently brought inside. Was something going on? Mismatched eyes swept across the camp, landing on Capitano’s tent, making sure to hurry over. Knocking would do nothing to alert Capitano of his presence, so instead he called out to him.

“Capitano?” Thrain, Capitano’s real name, was one he could use in private. It was a name only he knew now and a name only allowed to leave his lips. “It’s me. Can I com—"

Before he could even finish that sentence, the tent doors were abruptly pulled open, and there Capitano stood, towering over him. The helmet Capitano always wore prevented Ororon from seeing his expression, but he didn’t need to. Capitano’s body language combined with how quickly he’d come to the door told him everything he needed to know. So that’s why Pierre had ushered him inside. He had really worried Capitano, hadn’t he?

In an instant, the tension left Capitano’s body, and he relaxed. He cleared his throat and snaked an arm around Ororon’s body, resting his hand on the small of his back. He guided Ororon inside and over to his bed. “You’re late. I was beginning to fear something had happened to you.” 

Ororon bit the inside of his cheek as Capitano’s hand rested on his back, following the other man inside. Whenever Capitano placed a hand on his back or held him by his waist, it made his heart pound in his chest and his stomach flip, but that wasn’t the main reason he was biting his cheek. No, he was trying, trying really hard not to smile. He had Capitano really worried! It was nothing to smile about, and yet it was really hard to keep a neutral expression. He settled down on the bed next to Capitano, placing the fruit and vegetable basket on the floor next to him.

“A lot of things happened this morning. I didn’t mean to be late, and I didn’t mean to worry you. I’m sorry. It won’t happen again,” He apologized. Although Ororon had been fighting to keep that smile off his face, it was clear he had failed to do so, judging by Capitano’s response. 

“You don’t look very sorry.”

Ororon’s hand shot up to his mouth, and there was a smile on his face. When had that gotten there? He covered his mouth with his hand, looking up at Capitano. “I’m sorry,” he apologized again.

Capitano tipped his head at Ororon. “Your eyes give you away,” he pointed out, a teasing lilt in his voice.

Ororon failed to notice the tone in Capitano’s voice. He closed his eyes and covered them with his other hand. “I’m sorry.”

Capitano hummed. “Your voice.”

This time there was no apology. Ororon was stumped. If his mouth gave him away, he could cover it. If his eyes gave him away, he could close them. If his voice gave him away, what was he meant to do? He couldn’t stop the joy from creeping into his voice, but if he didn’t speak, how could he apologize? His brows furrowed as he genuinely thought about what to do for a solid ten seconds. 

“Wait…” He just realized something. He dropped his hands and opened his eyes before narrowing them at Capitano. “You’re messing with me,” he huffed. Capitano wasn’t one to point out all of those things. It was more like Capitano to point out he didn’t look sorry and then ask why he was smiling, but he hadn’t! He then went on to point out every little thing that gave him away. He was definitely being teased!

”That I am, little bat,” Capitano hummed out, amusement evident in his voice.

Ororon felt his face flush bright red, his ears lowering. He was still being teased even now! Capitano knew how flustered that nickname made him. If he could see Capitano’s face, he was sure he’d be smiling. He hit Capitano’s chest lightly. “Thrain…!” That was his plea for mercy.

A soft laugh came from the man before him, and the sound was music to Ororon’s ears. He loved hearing Capitano laugh. It was far too rare in his opinion.

Capitano placed a hand on Ororon’s head, petting him gently. “Alright, alright. Enough of that. Although, I do wish to know why you’re smiling right now. I don’t believe it’s very funny.”

Ororon instinctively lowered his ears and leaned into Capitano’s touch, fighting the urge to purr. He loved when Capitano petted him. “Oh… Well, I just thought it was nice.”

“Nice?” Capitano echoed, waiting for Ororon to go on.

Ororon nodded, smiling up at Capitano. “Mhm. Not nice that you were worried, but nice that you were worried about me… if that makes any sense. It makes me feel important to you—special…” he murmured, closing his eyes.

“You are special to me, Ororon.” He said softly. It was true. Ororon was more important and special to him than any other.

Ororon’s eyes flew open, his face flushing in an instant. He stared up at Capitano with wide eyes, his heart going crazy in his chest. Oh, he couldn’t do this anymore. He felt as if he were going to burst if he didn’t tell Capitano how he felt. He picked up the gift basket he’d brought, pushing it into Capitano’s arms. “This—this is for you!”

Capitano stopped petting Ororon in favor of holding the hefty gift basket that was just pushed into his arms. He figured it was another vegetable basket Ororon often gifted him, but the sheer size of it combined with the addition of fruit and flowers let him know this was no normal basket. “Oh? You’re giving me fruits as well? What‘s the occasion?” Before he could get a better look at the vegetables and fruits included, the basket was tugged from his hands.

”No!” Ororon set the basket down on the floor, pushing it a little further away. “It’s not for you!”

Capitano clicked his tongue. “Oh?” There was an eerie silence for a moment. “Then who was it meant for?” There was an emotion in Capitano’s voice that Ororon couldn’t quite place, but he could tell he wasn’t happy.

“No! No, no! I-I mean it is for you! It is! It’s just—not yet! I was… I was supposed to give it to you after!” He sputtered. He exhaled a shaky breath and buried his face in his hands. He was embarrassed. He’d been so overcome with emotion at the time that he’d messed up the order! He was supposed to give the basket to Capitano after he confessed and they started officially dating. This wasn’t going as smoothly as he hoped, but it was okay. Things weren’t ruined.

He sucked in a deep breath before gathering his courage and looking at Capitano, who was patiently waiting for him to go on. “…I had something I wanted to say first! I…” His heart thumped in his chest as his mismatched eyes wandered across Capitano’s… No. No, this wasn’t right. Any and all thoughts of confessing right that second went out the window. There was a more pressing matter on his mind. This was a special moment. He was about to bare his heart to Capitano, and yet… he couldn’t see his face. It was just that helmet staring back at him. He… He didn’t like that. “I want to see your face. Could I?”

It was a question he’d never asked before. Whenever he spent time with Capitano, the matter of his face never came up in conversation. It was something he hardly thought about. It only crossed his mind every once in a while, but right now, in this moment, it was the only thing on his mind. If he was going to confess, he wanted to do it while they were face-to-face—while looking at Capitano truly looking at him.

Capitano never told him why he hid his face, but he’d heard rumors going around within the camp, most of which were negative. He paid those rumors no mind. He didn’t want to make assumptions. While he did wonder what was beneath Capitano’s helmet, he wouldn’t buy into rumors and speculation. He’d only believe what he was told by Capitano or what he was personally shown by him. He nibbled on his bottom lip slightly. Capitano never brought up his face before, which led him to believe it was a bit of a sensitive topic. He only hoped he hadn’t crossed a line, but Capitano was silent, and that was making him anxious.

The silence continued for what felt like an eternity to Ororon, and then suddenly, he received his answer.

“No.”

That was it. One word. One very simple word, but that was all that was needed. It was a rejection. Rejection as plain as day. Ororon felt his heart drop, and for a moment, he was silent, feeling very conflicted inside. He wasn’t upset he had been rejected, but it did make him sad. More than anything, though, he felt put off by Capitano’s response. 

All he got was a ‘no.’ Capitano never just told him ‘no.’ It was always ‘no’ accompanied with some sort of explanation. It was always ‘No, you can’t do this because…’ or ‘No, I won’t let you do that because…’ or even ‘I won’t let you do that now because… but I’ll let you do it later.’ He was used to receiving an explanation, even a vague one, but not this time. There was no explanation at all.

“That’s it?” He ventured. Maybe Capitano just, he didn’t know, forgot the explanation this time… as unlikely as that seemed.

”That’s it,” Capitano confirmed, making Ororon frown in response.

That was it? But it couldn’t be. He dug his fingers into the palm of his hands slightly. “Why? Why won’t you show me?” He decided his previous question wasn’t direct enough. Maybe Capitano misunderstood him before, but there was no chance of that happening now. He was being very clear. However, there was no response from Capitano. The man wasn’t even looking at him anymore, so he decided to go on.

“I want to see your face. Won’t you let me see it? Please? Or at least tell me why I can’t see it. Thrain, whatever lies beneath your helmet won’t—"

”Ororon.” Capitano’s voice cut in, stern but not harsh. Never harsh, not towards him, but it still made him flinch and immediately fall silent.

Ororon understood that it was the end of this particular conversation. He looked down at his hands, his ears lowering. He began to fidget with his fingers, a sinking feeling in his chest. He felt bad. “Mngh… I’m sorry,” he apologized softly. “I didn’t mean to pry or be pushy. I just… I just thought…”

He thought it would be okay to ask given the nature of their relationship. Officially, they were close friends, but even though it was never said, he knew their relationship was much deeper than that. Capitano said he was special to him, but that didn’t mean he had the right to see his face or that he was owed an explanation. It was wrong for him to react in such a way.

He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter what I thought. I was wrong, and I’m sorry. I won’t do it again.” He said earnestly, flashing Capitano a little smile. “You don’t have to show me your face if you don’t want to. I can wait.” And he meant that. He could wait even if that meant waiting for the rest of his life.

Although, this did change his plans. He intended to confess moments ago, but not anymore. It was okay if Capitano didn’t wish to reveal his face, but he didn’t want to confess in this way. He wanted to confess face-to-face… so he’d wait until the day Capitano was comfortable revealing his face. Then, he would reveal the feelings held in his heart. Since he had no way of knowing when that day would come, he couldn’t prepare a gift in advance, but that was alright. He’d just have to bring a gift the next day. That would do.

Even though he’d apologized, Capitano was still silent. It was making Ororon anxious. Maybe he’d really upset Capitano this time. He should apologize again, but he didn’t get the chance.

”Do you really wish to see beneath this helmet?” Capitano questioned, finally looking at Ororon again.

Ororon had no idea what thoughts had gone through Capitano’s head in that short amount of time. He’d gone from telling him no to what seemed like potentially telling him yes. He nodded his head. “I do, but like I said, you don’t have to show me if you’re not comfortable. It’s okay. I’m eager to see you, but I can wait. I’m good at waiting!” He said proudly, tapping his fist on his own chest with a smile. He felt it necessary to reiterate that. He didn’t want Capitano taking off his helmet when he wasn’t comfortable just to appease him.

Silence, then a sigh, and then a hand was extended towards him. 

Ororon knew what it meant. Capitano hardly grew anxious, and there was little he was afraid of, but he was no robot. He was human. He still had the ability to feel fear, anxiety, uncertainty, and other similar emotions. It was a rare occurrence, but whenever such emotions struck Capitano, he would offer a hand just like that. A hand Ororon gladly took, which resulted in his being pulled into the other’s strong arms. He was always happy to oblige because knowing his presence brought Capitano comfort made him feel incredibly warm inside.

He gingerly placed his hand on top of Capitano’s, subsequently being pulled into the other man’s lap. He sat sideways on Capitano’s lap and rested his head on his shoulder, relaxing as arms snaked around his waist and settled there. He would never turn this down. He rested one hand on Capitano’s chest and slipped the other behind his back, beginning to slowly rub circles there as a way of soothing him. A comfortable silence lingered in the air for a few minutes, one that was soon broken by Capitano.

”It is not a pleasant sight.”

The urge to cut in immediately took over Ororon. He had a thing or two to say about that, but he bit his tongue. He should let Capitano finish. Then, he could give his input afterwards.

Capitano went on. “The curse of immortality prevents death, but it does not prevent the body from decaying. Although the process is significantly slower than normal, it isn’t stopped. The decay has already begun to spread to my face. You will not like what you see.”

Ororon had been very well aware of Capitano’s immortality, but he had never considered his body decaying. It should’ve been a natural thing to consider, but it wasn’t. At least, not to him. He knew plenty of people who weren’t exactly immortal but were living lives much longer than a normal human’s lifespan for various reasons. The first person that popped into his mind was his very own Granny, Citlali. She was well over two hundred years old, and yet she appeared to be in her twenties. The next person to surface in his mind was the traveler. He knew they were well over five hundred years old, and yet they appeared to be young as well. Neither of them showed any signs of rotting or decay, so naturally, he assumed that was the case for Capitano. He never considered that Capitano’s body was still subjected to the effects of time. Knowing this allowed him to come up with many images in his mind of what Capitano could look like, but none of them changed the feelings he had for him in the slightest.

A soft huff escaped his lips. Right now, Capitano was just assuming he wouldn’t like what he saw. He understood why, of course, but still. “That’s my decision to make, isn’t it?” 

Unexpectedly, his response drew a laugh out of Capitano. “It is, isn’t it?” 

Ororon nodded his head rapidly. It was.

”Then…” Capitano started, bowing his head slightly. “The honor is yours.”

Part of Ororon wanted to ask Capitano if he was sure, but he threw that thought out of the window. He knew Capitano wouldn’t have offered if he wasn’t sure. He sucked in a little breath as he placed his slender fingers on the base of Capitano’s helmet, carefully lifting it up, revealing Capitano’s face little by little. It only took him a few seconds for him to completely remove the helmet. He set it aside on the bed next to them before flicking his gaze back to Capitano, finally getting a look at his face for the first time. And… oh. He slowly let out the breath he’d been holding. This man was stunningly handsome. That was the first thought that crossed his mind.

Immediately, Ororon couldn’t help but realize their definitions of decaying were vastly different. Capitano had used that word to describe the state his body was in, so he expected to see something such as discolored skin or holes in the flesh leading to exposed teeth because of it… That’s what he was expecting to see, but that was not what he saw. Instead of saying Capitano's body was decaying, he’d say it was being corrupted or corroded due to the abyssal energy within his body.

Capitano had jet-black hair that nicely framed his face, beautifully thick eyebrows, absolutely stunning light blue eyes with distinctive white star-shaped pupils, and a sharp, well-defined jawline. However, over half of Capitano’s face was corrupted by dark royal blue abyssal energy. It started from the right side of Capitano’s face and spread downwards diagonally, going from his forehead, completely covering his nose and mouth, and the entirety of his neck. The corrosion hadn’t completely taken over Capitano’s face, but parts of it had already begun to spread to his left eye. Additionally, the corrupted part of Capitano’s face was beset with faintly glowing teal cracks. 

It certainly wasn’t something you saw every day, and Ororon could understand why Capitano believed the sight would disturb him, but he was anything but disturbed. He was completely in awe. Slowly bringing his hand up to Capitano’s face, he gently brushed his fingers along the right side of his face, immediately withdrawing his hand. Capitano’s skin was cold, unnaturally cold to the touch, and felt… He couldn’t describe the feeling very well, but it just felt inhuman. Still, he wasn’t disgusted in any way. The cold had just surprised him. He rested his hand on Capitano’s face and gently cupped his cheek, ignoring the way he involuntarily shivered. He’d adjust to the cold soon enough. 

He flicked his gaze back to Capitano, and that was when he realized. Capitano wasn’t looking at him and hadn’t been looking at him ever since his helmet was removed. Finally, he came back to his senses. Capitano had been hesitant to reveal his face, but he’d gone through with it anyway. He had revealed his way and yet hadn’t said a single word. Capitano was probably incredibly anxious waiting for his response. 

“Thrain,” he called softly and patted his cheek gently. “Look at me, please?” He shifted in Capitano’s lap, turning so that he could face him directly. He had one leg on either side of Capitano, now straddling him rather than sitting sideways.

Although Ororon had asked for Capitano to look at him, when those blue eyes looked into his own, it startled him. He couldn’t help but avert his gaze for a moment, his face flushing red. It wasn’t intentional. He was just embarrassed. It was strange to have Capitano look at him. Of course, he knew Capitano was always looking at him, but this was different. For the first time, he could see Capitano’s face and the expressions he made. He could see how intently Capitano gazed at him, and it made him flustered. This would take some getting used to.

He took a deep breath to calm himself before meeting Capitano’s gaze once more. He rubbed his thumb across his cheek gently, a gentle smile stretching across his face. “I don’t think it’s unsightly at all. I quite like what I see…” he murmured, the smile on his face growing as he watched Capitano’s tense expression fade away.

Capitano tightened his grip on Ororon, pulling him closer—as close as he could possibly get him. He raised an eyebrow at him. “Oh? Is that so? And what exactly do you like?”

Ororon bit his bottom lip, his heart hammering in his chest. Normally, it took him a few moments to realize Capitano was teasing him due to being unable to see his face, but now things were different. He could see Capitano’s face clearly, and there was a small, but masked, smile strewn across his lips. “You… You’re trying to tease me,” he huffed softly.

Just a moment ago, Capitano was worrying about how he’d react to seeing his face… but now he was trying to get him to say every little thing he liked about his face. He bounced back incredibly quickly, but he found himself touched that Capitano could easily let go of that worry because he’d said he liked what he saw.

”Perhaps,” Capitano laughed. “But I genuinely wish to know as well. “Won’t you humor me?”

And how was Ororon supposed to say no to such a request? He couldn’t. “…Your eyebrows. They're thick. I like that…” He didn’t even try to say he liked everything about Capitano’s face. Although it was true, he knew Capitano would push him to be more specific. 

Capitano hummed in response, his way of encouraging Ororon to go on.

He exhaled shakily. Capitano was really trying to embarrass him to death, wasn’t he? “And your eyes… They’re striking. I like your nose too, and…” He swallowed thickly, his eyes landing on Capitano’s lips. “And your l-lips…” He whispered, trailing off for a moment. He didn’t have any particular comment to add regarding Capitano’s lips or the rest of his appearance, for that matter. Every part of his mind was overcome with thoughts of kissing Capitano.

It was something he’d thought plenty of times in the past, but there was never a face put to it. It was always him kissing a shadowed figure, but now he had a face to put to that shadowy figure. He couldn’t help thinking about it all over again… and before he even realized what he was doing, his lips were pressed against Capitano’s. The kiss barely lasted a second. The cold of Capitano’s skin immediately brought him back to his senses and had him scrambling backwards in embarrassment, but there was no escape. Capitano’s grip didn’t ease in the slightest.

“A-Ah…! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean—I don’t know what—"

Capitano’s voice cut in, not allowing him to finish that sentence. “Don’t be.” He slipped a hand into Ororon’s hair and tugged him back in, pressing their lips together once more.

This time, Ororon really felt like his heart would beat out of his chest. He squeezed his eyes shut tightly, clumsily trying to kiss Capitano back. This was his first kiss—technically second now, but that didn’t matter—and he had no idea what to do.

“Relax…” Capitano murmured against his lips, rubbing Ororon’s back with his free hand in an attempt to soothe him.

The rubbing was incredibly helpful. It helped ease his nerves. Ororon melted against Capitano, the tension in his body slowly fading away. He did his best to follow Capitano’s lead, his lips moving against his colder ones. He wasn’t sure if he was doing any of this right, but he found himself failing to care about such things as he fell deeper within the kiss, leaning into Capitano. 

At some point, Capitano had found an opportunity to slip his tongue into his mouth. It was something he definitely wasn’t ready for just yet, but he did his best to keep up with Capitano anyway. A soft moan escaped his lips as Capitano pressed his tongue deeper into his mouth, tears beginning to well in his eyes. It was all fuzzy inside his head; he felt like he was being devoured, but he loved it. He’d kiss Capitano forever if he could, but at some point he’d need to break for air. 

That moment came a lot sooner than he would’ve liked it to. He hit Capitano’s chest lightly with his free hand, and thankfully he got the message. He panted heavily as Capitano pulled away just enough for him to breathe, a line of saliva still connecting their lips. He gazed at Capitano, face flushed and eyes half-lidded as he struggled to catch his breath. He failed to realize the tears that had rolled down his cheeks in the midst of their kiss, but clearly Capitano hadn’t. 

He pressed his cold lips to Ororon’s face, kissing away the tears that rolled down his cheeks and any that threatened to spill afterwards. 

Ororon couldn’t help smiling. He leaned into all of the kisses, purring softly.

“Don’t you have something to say to me?” Capitano asked as he pressed a kiss to Ororon’s cheek. “Hm, little bat?”

Ororon blinked in momentary confusion before it hit him. He supposed he had been the one to kiss Capitano first, even if Capitano was the one to eagerly follow up on it. “Ah…!” This day wasn’t going how he had planned at all. He gave Capitano the gift basket first instead of last, and now he’d kissed Capitano before he even confessed! But he supposed such things didn’t matter. Things hadn’t gone according to the plan, but it was still going well. 

“I like you, Thrain!” He breathed. “I only realized it last night… but I’ve liked you for a long time.” He couldn’t figure out when it had started, but he knew for a fact it began very early on. If only he had realized it sooner.

Capitano cocked his head at Ororon, brushing his thumb across his lips. “Like? Is that all?”

Ororon’s face, which was just starting to return to its normal color, flushed all over again. Was that all? No, of course it wasn’t. He didn’t just like Capitano. He loved him, but he had settled for, like… because wasn’t that the normal way to do things? You started with ‘like,’ and then ‘love’ came after dating for a while. He thought it’d be too much to come out saying he loved Capitano right off the bat, but now it was clear that had been a silly thought. It was obvious Capitano wasn’t satisfied with ‘like.’

He shook his head slowly and pressed his forehead against Capitano’s gently, gazing into his eyes. “No… No, that’s not all. I love you. I love you, Thrain, so much,” he breathed out. The smile that stretched across Capitano’s face in response and the sheer amount of adoration he saw in Capitano’s eyes as he spoke his next words might as well have stopped his heart. 

“I love you too, Ororon. I love you too.”