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Pikero isn't really sure what prompted him to have this thought, but as always, once something piqued his interest, he was unable to let it go until he felt that he had investigated it thoroughly.
Although, he admitted that the thing that caught his attention this time was a bit odd. Now, he'd known Tuxam for some time now, so him being the subject of his curiosity now was strange.
The past few times they'd been in the same vicinity, Pikero found himself interested by Tuxam's reactions to things. But not his typical loud and mildly irritated ones. Pikero was more interested in Tuxam's quieter reactions to certain things. Particularly when he was rendered speechless, and would temporarily lose his refined ability to speak and when he would fumble for words.
He takes some time to mull over different ways he could experiment and provoke such reactions, and after a few sleepless nights in a row spent reading various kinds of literature from the stack of novels Tuxam had lent him that had remained untouched until then, Pikero finally concludes that the best way to completely fluster Tuxam, is to kiss him.
The notion made him feel strange when dwelling upon it for too long, but not necessarily in a bad way, he thinks. After all, they'd known each other for a while, and he admits, albeit begrudgingly, they'd grown closer over the years. Plus, it was better, and probably easier, to kiss someone you're familiar with rather than a complete stranger.
Now, his only thing left to do was plan and think over how he was even going to go about this.
He couldn't play it off and say he had heard of it from a friend and was curious himself, because it was so obviously untrue. Pikero didn't have friends. All he needed to be content in life was his lord and his research.
He could ask Tuxam to stay and discuss something, but that in itself would be a hassle, because then he would have to come up with that something, and it could derail from his original agenda.
Pikero's gaze drifts off to the side and he eyes the stack of novels in the corner of his lab, and there, a better idea strikes him.
Why not play it off as something from the novels? Tuxam had given him a few romance novels. He could simply chalk his curiosity up to an intimate scene in the book being described with such detail that it left even him curious. Yes, that was perfect.
A quick glance at the calendar, and he does a quick mental calculation to get a general idea of when Tuxam would next come by his lab uninvited. Sure, he could always contact him quicker by sending a letter, but Pikero doesn't write letters to friends that he certainly doesn't have.
As the days pass, Pikero finds that he feels a slight jittery nauseous feeling in his gut, which is quite the oddity. Normally, Pikero did not get anxious about anything. Perhaps he ate something that did not agree with his stomach.
The feeling persisted, and it ends up causing him to be out of sorts the day Tuxam does show up again. Sure, he's still irritated that Tuxam felt the need to go through his things without permission, and that he took it upon himself to force Pikero to eat, but Pikero isn't as vocal in his complaints as usual, because he's a bit subdued.
Unfortunately for Pikero, the other knight, being the gentleman he was, was perceptive, and he could notice someone's body language being a little off if he knew what their norm was.
"Hey. You're quieter than usual today. Is something wrong?" Tuxam asks, after setting a bowl down on the desk beside Pikero's monitor. He casts a glance down at the bowl to assess what it was that Tuxam had made him this time, and he finds it to be a simple vegetable soup of some sort. He considers making a face, but he would loathe to waste food, and so he picks up the bowl and brings it to his lips to sip the broth.
Tuxam watches him, sighing quietly as Pikero completely disregards the spoon that lay on the desk until he had drank about half of the broth. Only then does he set the bowl down and begin eating the soup normally.
He pointedly ignores Tuxam's question, though, and so the other knight asks again, crossing his arms over his chest. Pikero silently groans in frustration somewhere in the back of his mind. Of course Tuxam was going to be stubborn about this. Tuxam was stubborn about everything. That was just how Tuxam always was.
He'd been wanting to wait until the other knight was about to leave before bringing up the topic, but alas, the unpredicted outcome had decided to occur. How annoying.
"I've been reading those novels you left here and insisted that I read," Pikero starts, sounding uninterested in the conversation, though in actuality, he feels just a bit restless now.
Tuxam's eyes light up instantly. Ah, he really was so expressive. Always wore his heart on his sleeve. In a way, it was admirable. But it was just as annoying at times, as well. No matter, this wasn't what Pikero should be focusing on. He had an experiment to conduct.
"Great! Amazing! I told you that you'd find them interesting too, didn't I? Which one did you read?"
In his excitement, Tuxam had clasped one of Pikero's hands between his own, squeezing gently. The scientist feels his brain stutter, and the only thing he consciously registers for a moment is that he can feel the warmth of Tuxam's hands through the fabric of his gloves. The feeling felt strange against his own hands, which were typically cold, but he doesn't deem it to be unpleasant.
"The one about the knight and the prince," Pikero murmurs eventually, and he swears he watches Tuxam's smile become brighter. Perhaps he could even rival the brightness of the blinding light of the sun outside, if he tried.
"Amazing! That one is one of my favorites," Tuxam says in approval. He pauses for a moment after this, though. Seems he remembered something.
"But you sounded as though you wanted to say more earlier. Are you going to complete your thought now?"
And now, Pikero has been thoroughly backed into a corner. He can't think of any excuse or smart witty comment to get himself out of the situation this time.
"The chapter with their first kiss," Pikero manages. "It just got stuck in my head and I've been thinking, that's all there is to it."
Tuxam looks a bit startled, as if that answer was the furthest thing from what he'd actually been thinking. It probably was. "You're curious about kissing?" He asks carefully, sounding like he was suggesting something absurd.
"I guess," Pikero grunts. He sighs, running a hand over his face. "I was pondering some sort of experiment related to it."
Tuxam looks at him as if he'd grown a second head, and honestly, he might as well have. Pikero? Interested in romance and intimacy? Unheard of.
"It intrigued you that much? ..I must say, this is quite a surprise, Pikero. But an experiment? How would you even go about that?"
Pikero smirks in response, that somewhat condescending expression that he wore when explaining something related to his studies appearing on his face. "Oh? You're asking me about the idea I've come up with? Are you willing to assist me with it then, Tuxam?"
"Wait, wait! I haven't agreed to anything yet? You haven't told me what the experiment is!" Tuxam raises his voice, a faint blush dusting his cheeks.
Pikero merely scoffs. "Are you afraid you can't handle it? All I want is to find out why exactly people find kissing to be enjoyable. In truth, I skimmed through most of those books you insisted that I read, and a good number of them included the characters kissing, but in the one I mentioned earlier in particular, it was quite descriptive. Is it not reasonable that it would make me question such a thing?"
The other knight still looks highly skeptical. "I suppose it is, but.." He trails off, a hand coming up to mess with a bit of his hair as he considered options. After a few long moments of silence, Tuxam's eyes widen slightly, his gaze meeting Pikero's again.
"Finally figured it out, have you?" Pikero hums, pointedly ignoring that jittery feeling in his stomach that had resurfaced sometime in the past few minutes.
Tuxam hesitates, still messing with his hair, before heaving a shaky sigh. "You're really okay with me doing that? I'd loathe doing anything that causes anyone discomfort. A true gentleman respects the boundaries of everyone, after all."
Pikero rolls his eyes, but he turns his chair to face Tuxam fully. "We've known each other long enough, so surely it's fine? Or is that an issue for you? I'm doing this for research purposes, but I'm not going to speak for you."
Tuxam shakes his head quickly. "No way! That's fine, if you're alright with it, then I suppose I have no qualms.. However, I do believe we should decide a safe word or action, just to be careful. To, ah.. Control a variable in your experiment, so to speak."
Pikero considers this for a moment, then relents. Knowing Tuxam, he'd refuse to assist him if Pikero didn't agree, and he supposed it wasn't totally unreasonable.
"Speaking would theoretically be difficult if we are kissing, no?" Pikero says boredly, to which the other knight nods. It only takes him a moment to come up with an alternative.
"If it becomes too much, one of us can tap the other on the shoulder or arm a few times. Does that sound alright?"
Pikero shrugs. It really didn't make a difference to him. However, he really didn't expect the silence that followed to be so.. Awkward.
He allows his gaze to roam over Tuxam's face for a moment. He truly was so expressive.. Pikero could tell by looking at him that the other knight was nervous, judging by the slight furrow of his brow and the way he kept subtly fidgeting.
"Take your hat off, it would probably get in the way," Pikero tells him.
"Right," Tuxam agrees, removing his hat and placing it on the table. He stands there silently afterwards, looking quite awkward. Pikero mentally facepalms. Because of course, he had to do the work if he wanted satisfactory results.
He swivels his chair around and stands up, walking over to Tuxam and leaning down in his face. Tuxam briefly flinches, as if he wasn't expecting them to be doing this right now, but then he closes his eyes and leans forward slightly. Their lips brush together for a fleeting moment that can barely be called a kiss.
Pikero is the first to pull away, a contemplative look on his face as he sits back down again in front of his monitor, immediately beginning to type things. Tuxam presumes it was data, but he stays where he is and waits. He starts fidgeting with his hair again, unsure of what to do and not wanting to break the silence.
Though, the silence stretches on for what he begins to think was much longer than necessary. Tuxam moves away to sit in another nearby chair, then he speaks up.
"Pikero.. Does it truly take this long to enter data for such a brief interaction?"
Pikero scowls, standing up from his chair again and standing in front of Tuxam's. He places his hands on both the armrests and leans down, leaving very little distance between them.
"Are you trying to rush me, Tuxam? I shouldn't be hearing that tone from someone that sucks at kissing. That goes against your gentility standards nonsense, doesn't it? What kind of gentleman is bad at kissing? Shouldn't you be leading here?" Pikero asks, almost tauntingly.
Tuxam scoffs, glaring up at the scientist as he quickly loses patience. "And why do you seem to know so much about it? Is the topic of kissing someone something you've already thoroughly researched prior to this?"
"As if," Pikero grunts, rolling his eyes. He closes the remaining distance between them again.
This time, the kiss lasts longer than just a brief peck on the lips. Pikero quickly attempts to deepen the kiss, trying to quickly recall how it was done in the pages he had skimmed over. His form is rough and messy, and had Tuxam actually known what he was doing, he would have been disappointed.
Pikero doesn't seem to care though, and this was a big difference between the two knights. The scientist is only interested in results, and so he does everything hastily. One second, Tuxam felt Pikero's lips clashing against his again, and the next, he felt the other's tongue swipe against his lips. He yelps, clearly not expecting that, and this unfortunately gives Pikero the opportunity to push further.
It's too much. Tuxam slides his hands up from where they had been resting on Pikero's forearms, now resting them on his shoulders. He seems unsure if he wants to pull the other knight closer, or if he wants to push him away.
His own doubt is answered mere seconds later, when their teeth accidentally clash together, and Tuxam decides that now is a good time to pause once again.
Pikero is dimly aware of Tuxam repeatedly tapping his shoulder. Right, that was their established signal to stop. He reluctantly pulls away, looking down at Tuxam. His face is flushed and his eyes are wide. He meets Pikero's gaze, looking quite out of sorts. He's far from the well put together gentleman that he presents himself as.
..And that was his doing. Pikero is the reason he's in this disheveled state. He feels shaky, and he can tell his palms are a little sweaty. His heart hammers against his ribcage.
Pikero realizes in that moment that he wants to see more of this. It's almost intoxicating; that look on Tuxam's face. He feels an odd warmth in his chest.
..That's because the results he had been getting are satisfactory, surely?
Neither of them move for a while, trying to catch their breath before doing anything further. To Tuxam's surprise, Pikero doesn't go back to his monitor to write down anything. All he does is slowly turn to pull the chair closer to himself, and then he all but collapses in it. He has a distant look in his eyes, clearly very deep in thought.
Tuxam isn't sure how long it takes, but the other knight eventually does look at him again, and they hold eye contact for a brief moment. He can count the amount of times on one hand that the two have had an exact mutual agreement, and this was one of those times.
Tuxam quickly brings a hand up, taking the seam of his glove in his teeth and giving it a slight tug, then he peels the rest of the glove off, and does the same for his other hand. Once the gloves are discarded and neatly placed on the table, Tuxam unbuttons his tuxedo coat and shrugs it off, carefully draping it over the back of his chair. Now that he no longer feels like he were going to melt from the heat, he leans forward and coaxes Pikero into removing his labcoat.
Once this task is complete, the two find their lips crashing together once more.
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Some unspecified time later, Pikero finally seems satisfied with the results he had gotten throughout his several trials. Tuxam excuses himself with a quick bow, and steps away to tidy up the last few things somewhere near the bookshelves in the corner of the room.
As Tuxam is about to leave after finishing his cleaning, Pikero shocks him with an uncharacteristic offer.
"The experiment data you have provided me with today proved to be useful. You make a good test subject, so come back if you're willing to participate in any of my future scientific endeavors."
The door then closes immediately after, leaving Tuxam standing outside and looking bewildered as he began to decipher whatever that meant.