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Ashkariel let out a sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose, "So you're saying that you, a criminal, somehow fell in love with a police officer who has on multiple occasions arrested you-".
Liron nodded, "Yeah".
"And now you're asking me for help about it".
He nodded yet again, "Yep".
"Because you don't actually know how to go about asking him out despite the fact you've flirted with him multiple times...?".
It had started out as a pretty normal day, with Liron having called Ashkariel over to his place because he 'needed advice on something'. Wanting to be a good friend, of course Ash obliged and came to the prisoner's abode.
What he did not expect however, was for Liron to confess to having a crush on Caelen, and then ask for help confessing those feelings to the officer.
"Okay, I know it sounds embarrassing, but I'd reeeaaalllyyy appreciate the help, please!!" the prisoner begged him, "Besides, he probably thinks I'm only flirting with him just to tease him or because I wanna escape whatever prison they're holding me in! I need to find a way to tell him I'm serious about this!!".
One of the multiple cats Liron took care of batted at Ashkariel's hair, and the angel knelt down to carry the feline in his arms. "Look, I understand your plight, and I pity you, truly," he told him, letting a hand run through Princess' fur, "But why come to me of all people for help?".
"Well, I mean, we're both Caelen's friends, so why not??" Liron replied, shrugging, "Plus, you're like- what? Fifteen thousand years old? You probably have some sort of experience or advice for me!!".
Ash's brows furrowed. "I spent most of that time in hell, I'm pretty sure I didn't have the time to be in relationships" he replied, letting Princess climb out of his arms and onto his shoulders,
"I don't know, you had the time to realise you were a sadist, so..."
Ashkariel narrowed his eyes at him, before simply let out a sigh. "Look, just... Do what you usually do when you like something," he told him. Another lockat had begun to pull on the ends of Ash's jacket, who he also picked up in his arms. "If you're gonna make that dog fall in love with you, you're gonna do it with your natural charm and habits".
"I mean- I usually just take the things that I like and then- wait...". A sparkle of realisation shone in Liron's magenta eyes, before a grin spread across his face, "Ash, you're a genius!!".
"Heh, I know I am," Ashkariel smirked proudly, one hand on his hip proudly while his other arm held Princess. The lockat on his shoulders had begun to climb on top of his head, beginning to paw at his floating halo while the other lockat was squirming to climb onto his shoulders.
"I have to go make a plan now!!" Liron said, before turning on his heel to exit the room, "I need to ask Eli for more of those knocking-out chemicals he has!!".
"Hey hey, Liron. Aren't you forgetting something?" Ashkariel interrupted his train of thought, pointing at the cats surrounding him, "Your Princesses are climbing me like a tree".
Liron looked over his shoulder at him, pausing before shrugging. "You can watch over them for me while I'm gone" he told him, before leaving the room and leaving Ash with the lockats.
The room stayed silent for a moment, the only sounds being the cats meowing on him, and the angel let out a sigh, "I am a god, I am an all powerful being, I should not be used as a scratching post by mere felines".
Another meow came from below him, and he looked down to see another lockat pawing at his coat. He stared in silence at it for a second, before picking the cat up again and letting it nuzzle into his neck, "Actually, this isn't too half bad".
. . .
It took Caelen a couple seconds to realise something was wrong when he finally awoke. His vision was blurry, and his mind was still a bit sleepy as he came to. "Huh... what...?" he murmured as he came to his senses. He tried to move, but his efforts were quickly halted when he realised he was tied to a chair with his own leash, "Wait- what the-".
"Finally awake, Sleeping Beauty?". A familiar teasing voice called out to him, and he looked up to see Liron sitting across from him, smirking at him. The both of them were at Liron's place, though the lights were turned off with only candles on the table to light up the place.
Now that he realised it, Liron had placed a white tablecloth and cutlery out on the table too. And the thief himself was wearing a button up shirt, vest and tie, though the collar and tie were both slightly unbuttoned and loose. Drastically different and more formal to what he usually wore.
"Liron, what the hell is going on?" Caelen asked him, before he was suddenly interrupted by the presence of one of the multiple Princesses that lived with Liron, carrying a vase filled with roses before pushing it onto the table. She let out a small meow towards Caelen before leaving the pair alone, just leaving him evwn more baffled, "And what the fuck was that???".
"Hey, relax, Cae! I know it looks suspicious!" Liron replied to him, raising his hands in mock surrender, "But I swear, I had good intentions!".
"You kidnapped an officer of the law, Liron. What 'good intentions' could you possibly have?".
"Look, let me explain, okay??". Liron ran a hand through his pale hair before speaking up again, "So, you know my mantra in life, yeah? 'If I find something I like, I take it', you know?".
Caelen narrowed his eyes at him, his ears laying flat against his head, "Liron, what did you steal this time?".
"Oh, I'm pretty sure you already know the answer to that one, Officer".
An embarassing amount of silence passed between them, Liron waiting patiently for Caelen to crack his code. He knew he had finally realised it when Caelen's eyes widened in shock and his cheeks began to turn red, "Is this your way of saying you...???".
That familiar cat-like smirk formed on Liron's face, and he delighted in the way Caelen let out a deep sigh of frustration, lowering his head as if to hide the flush on his face, "Liron, this is not the way you ask somebody out".
"Hey, you already know I have a flair for the dramatic, Cae! I like to do things the fun way, not the easy way!" Liron chuckled at him, "Who needs blueprints of a prison when I can just use a rocket launcher? Who needs to ask someone out when I can just 'take' them out instead?".
"Liron, this counts as kidnapping. You could be arrested and charged for this".
"I've done much worse than kidnapping and we both know it," he replied. He leaned forward, propping an elbow on the table as he stared at him, his magenta eyes seemingly glowing brighter in the candlelight, "Besides, I'd break out of prison any day if it meant spending more time with my favourite officer~".
Another Princess bounded up to Liron and pawed at his leg for attention. Liron looked down at her as she continued to meow at him, before getting up from his seat. "I'll be back in a second, Caelen! Just need to get our food first!" he winked at him, turning on his heel to leave, "Princess, feel free to remove his restraints. I don't think he'll be running off anytime soon".
Princess let out a meow as he left, before bounding over to where Caelen was sat. She bit and pulled at his leash, eventually needing to call another Princess over before the two cats manage to loosen his leash enough for him to free his arms.
"Ah... thanks, you two" Caelen told them, to which the two cats responded with happy mews. Now that Caelen realised it though, he wasn’t wearing his jacket or tactical vest right now. He wondered if Liron had taken those just to make his attire more 'date-friendly' with just the shirt and leash or if those had joined his list of things he wanted to steal from him and the other boys. He honestly wished that Liron had asked him out the normal way, then he would've actually dressed up for the occasion.
Implying that he would have accepted it if Liron did ask him out. Which he totally wouldn't have. Because he's a police officer and police officers don't fall in love with and go on dates with criminals. Obviously. Duh.
Liron finally returned from where he had disappeared, carrying what looked like plates with metal covers over them. "Food's done, Cae!!" the criminal grinned to him, setting one of the plates down in front of him, "Courtesy of me, of course!".
Caelen's eyes widened in surprise as he looked up at him, "You... made the food too?".
"Of course I did! Needed to give you the authentic Lockheart experience if I was gonna take you out!" Liron chuckled. He placed one of the plates in front of his own seat, before sitting down across from him, "It's kinda funny if you think about it though. Call me a triple threat the way I'm both your date, the chef and the waiter!".
The air was silent for a second, and Liron was beginning to wonder if his joke had fallen flat. But then Caelen let out a small laugh, his tail wagging a bit behind him. "I guess it is quite funny," Caelen smiled at him, still chuckling, "I thought you would've been able to afford private dining with the amount of money you've stolen from places".
Liron felt his heart skip a beat at his smile, lost for words before he cleared his throat. "Well, I-I just... wanted to give you something unique, I guess" he replied, a blush beginning to form on his own face.
All of a sudden, the sound of lounge music started to play, and both men turned to see a small band of lockats playing in the corner. One lockat was seated at a mini grand piano, another playing the bass, and a third holding a saxophone. "Since when did they play jazz?" Caelen asked him, turning his attention back towards Liron.
The criminal shrugged, "Beats me. But they make good background music, don't you think?".
Caelen nodded to him before he went to lift the metal cover off of his plate, revealing a stack of hot and fresh lasagna in front of him. His eyes widened in surprise, "I didn't know you knew how to cook, especially stuff like this".
"Yeah, everyone's surprised when they find that out," Liron chuckled, having already dug into his own lasagna, "Hope you like it though, puppy~".
Caelen looked between the lasagna in front of him and Liron, who seemed to be eagerly awaiting to see his reaction. Caelen picked up the fork next to his plate, picking out a forkful from the plate and blowing on it before eating it.
Liron tilted his head curiously at him, "So~?".
Caelen didn't respond to him, instead swallowing his food before shovelling another forkful into his mouth. Liron watched in surprise for a couple seconds, before he let out a laugh, "Hey, you're gonna get hiccups if you eat that fast, you know??".
Caelen paused at that, looking up at him and swallowing before turning away bashfully. "Ah, you're right. Sorry for that..." he apologised, a light blush on his cheeks, "I just... didn't expect for your cooking to be that good".
Liron's gaze softened then, a smile on his face. He absolutely adored the face Caelen made when he was shy or embarrassed, especially paired with how his tail didn't stop wagging at all. "Well, I'm glad you liked it then, Cae", he replied to him.
Conversation flowed naturally between the two, just as it always had been. Except instead of between bars and with tension in the air, the two felt relaxed and in their element, simply sharing stories over dinner. Caelen had to admit to himself, it felt nice to converse with Liron without the reminder they were an officer and criminal hanging over their heads. Here, they could just be themselves, with no expectations whatsoever.
The lockats soon ended the song they were playing, switching to another jazz song, but this time more slower and romantic. Caelen took a sip from his champagne glass, still wondering if Liron actually bought it or stole it from someplace, but decided he wouldn't question that until later. "I do have to say, Liron. I'm... actually enjoying this date," he chuckled, smiling as he set down his champagne glass, "I never thought I'd say that to a criminal, and especially to someone like you".
A smile spread on Liron's face. Not one of his usual mischievous or teasing grins. But a soft, genuine smile. "Well, I'm glad to be your favourite criminal then," he replied, taking a sip from his own champagne glass.
His favourite criminal... Caelen thought over those words for a moment. As much as he knew it broke every rule he had learned, Liron wasn't wrong. After all the times Caelen's arrested him, after all the conversations they've had between bars and after accidentally becoming allies, Caelen realised he had grown quite fond of the criminal.
His cheeks dusted pink at the realisation, and a smile graced his lips as he let out a chuckle. "Yeah, maybe I do have a favourite criminal," he said before clearing his throat, "You know, Liron. I wouldn't mind going on another date with yo-".
Liron suddenly spat out his drink in shock, beginning to cough and wheeze for air. The band of lockats immediately stopped playing, and Caelen shot up from his seat towards him. "Liron?! Are you okay?!" he yelled as he ran over to his side.
"Y-Yeah, don't worry about it-" the criminal coughed, clearing his throat and giving him an apologetic chuckle. He stood up from his own chair, fixing his slightly damp suit a bit, "It's just... I guess you surprised me, heh?".
Caelen's brows furrowed in confusion, before a look of realisation crossed his face and his tail began to wag behind him, "Did... me saying I'd go out with you again really surprise you that much??".
"Uh- no! Definitely not!!" Liron stammered, his face already beginning to turn red, "Uhh, maybe it did?? But not that much!!". Behind him, the lockats all either laughed teasingly at him, or groaned in frustration, hiding their faces in their paws.
Caelen looked down at him, the blush still persisting on his face, and his eyes softened before he raised a hand up to rest on Liron's cheek. Liron's breath hitched in his throat at that, his cheek suddenly feeling like it was on fire.
Caelen's touch was warm and gentle, nothing like how an officer should be with a criminal. But then again, they didn't have that same relationship dynamic they used to. They weren't a police officer and an escaped convict like they usually were. Rather, they were just Caelen and Liron, two people who had managed to find themselves drawn to eachother.
And the way Caelen looked at Liron right now wasn't with the eyes of an officer. It was with the eyes of someone who cared deeply for him.
"Liron... can I?" he asked him, voice hushed and tender in the candlelight.
The criminal suddenly felt very hot underneath the collar of his shirt, the blush on his face spreading quickly to his neck. He gulped nervously before replying, "Of course you can, Caelen...".
Caelen nodded to him, lifting Liron's face up to stare into his eyes, blue eyes meeting magenta, before leaning in. The kiss was as gentle and soft as Caelen's touch was earlier, and Liron soon found himself melting into it, his eyes fluttering closed and lifting his arms up to wrap around Caelen's shoulders.
They soon separated for air, and the pair opened their eyes again to stare at eachother. Caelen's face was flushed, his eyes half lidded and his tail wagging excitedly behind him. "Did I... do well?" he asked him, letting out a nervous chuckle, "I-I don't kiss people that much, so I might suck at it, heh...".
Liron didn't respond, instead grabbing him by the leash and pulling him in for another kiss. The prisoner kissed him deeply and passionately, and although Caelen was caught off guard, he happily reciprocated, leaning into the kiss and letting Liron take the reigns - both literally and metaphorically.
They pulled away for a final time, their laboured breaths in sync as they leaned foreheads against eacother. "So..." Caelen breathed out, his lips turning res from the kiss, blue eyes blown wide, "I'll take that meant I did well?".
Liron cocked a smile at him, lifting a hand up to scratch behind Caelen's ear. The officer found himself leaning into his touch, and Lirin let out a chuckle.
"You did well, for a police officer and especially for someone who doesn't kiss much" he replied. He lowered his hand, only to then grab Caelen's chin and force him to look down at him, "Buuuut, I could definitely see some room for improvement, officer. And luckily for you, I happen to be an expert".
Caelen's ears twitched slightly, face blushing madly, but he still gave him a smile and a nod, "I... actually wouldn't mind a few extra lessons if it meant being with you".
"Good," Liron smirked at him, before grabbing a hold of his leash and leading him out of the room, "We're gonna have to go over a loooot of stuff together, Cae! So be prepared".
The door closed behind him, but the band of lockats - as well as all the other cats that had witnessed the scene - all stared at eachother in silence. Some of them had fainted from pure shock, some began to giggle excitedly amongst themselves, and the more sensible of the group began to clean up the table.
Something was telling them that neither of the men would be back until the morning. But they all hoped they'd both have a good night nontheless.