Date #1

Arthur was nervously trying to tame his stupid hair. But it had obviously decided that today, it would embarrass him the whole time. Gosh, he looked like he'd just gotten out of bed - and not in a sexy way. And Leon would be here any moment! As soon as that thought ran through his head, the bell chimed. Giving up on his hair, he opted for his favourite beanie. Luckily, it was still cold enough even though it was already early April.
Opening the door, he couldn't help but smile.

"Hey, love.", Leon grinned, eyes soft.
"Hi."
"Ready to go?"
"Yep, just let me put on my shoes”, Arthur replies.

He quickly put his boots on and laced them up before grabbing his coat as well. Leon watched him while leaning against the doorway. His curls were wild from the wind outside, but it made him seem even more attractive than usual. And he'd dressed in a button down with a wool sweater vest; the dark red going perfectly with his hair colour.

"You dressed up", Arthur complimented his boyfriend as he stepped towards him.
"Well, I do want to look nice when I take my boyfriend on our first official date", the taller quipped as Arthur locked the door behind them.
"I feel underdressed”, the blond grumbled.
"Why? You look good. The beanie is cute."

Immediately, Arthur could feel his face heat up. He really wasn't used to being called cute – or being complimented. Leon merely chuckled and linked their arms together.

"Are you at least gonna tell me what we'll be doing?", Arthur quickly asked to distract his boyfriend from coming up with any other compliments.

Leon eyed him, probably aware of what the blond was trying, but he conceded. Mostly.

"You don't like surprises?", the curlyhead wondered.
"Um, I've rarely had any”, Arthur admitted.

His father wasn’t really all too interested in giving him any nice surprises. No surprise birthday parties. No surprise dinners. No, the only surprises Arthur had gotten were a little half-sister, a pre-decided study plan and visits where Uther would criticise everything about Arthur’s life. Not that Leon needed to know that.

“I just like knowing what will happen", he settled on.

Leon nodded slowly.

"Well, we'll be walking a bit. Then, we're gonna enter a building and spent as much time as you want inside. And then we could go and eat something."
"A building?"

Leon hummed affirmatively.

"But you won't tell me what building?", Arthur asked knowingly.
"A big one”, his boyfriend grinned mischievously.

Arthur couldn't help but snort; yet he felt himself relaxing some more with having at least a basic idea of their plans. Leon smiled and pressed a quick kiss to Arthur's cheek.

"You'll like it", he assured him.
"Okay", the blond mumbled, blush dusting his cheeks once more.
"You okay? Was that too much?", Leon asked worriedly.

Arthur blinked up at him before quickly shaking his head.

"Huh? No! I'm just- Well, I'm not used to it. Does that make sense?"
"It does. You'll tell me if I make you uncomfortable, right?"
"I will but that won't happen. You've always known just how to make me feel safe."
"I'm glad”, Leon smiled warmly.

Arthur smiled back, and they kept walking in companionable silence. Eventually, the streets became familiar, and Arthur tried to remember how he knew them. When a large building came into view, it hit him like a bolt of lightning.

"Are we going to the museum?!"

Leon chuckled lowly as he nodded.

"Ah, I knew you'd realise it. I should have driven and blindfolded you. Yes, we're going to the museum. You said you haven't had a chance to see the current exhibition about the Arthurian legend because of all the exams you've had. So, I thought I'd treat you."

Arthur gaped at the taller man.

"But I mentioned that while rambling about being stressed! I thought none of you was even listening to me anymore."

Leon chuckled.

"I'm always listening to you, Arthur. Let's go in, hm?"
"Okay."

They got in quickly as Leon had booked their tickets online in advance and Arthur felt giddy as they entered the first large room of the museum. He felt Leon eye him but as usual, it didn't make him feel awkward. He knew that the curlyhead wasn't judging him for his behaviour.

"This is so cool!", he gushed quietly.
"Lead the way then."
"What?"
"Lead the way”, Leon repeated patiently, “I know you always plan out a tour in your head that'll be the most informative yet easily understood. And should I not understand something, I'll just ask my personal tour guide."
"I'm not a tour guide”, Arthur mumbled.
"But you know so much about this legend, I'd be surprised if anything here were completely new to you. C'mon, just do me the favour."

Arthur tried to pout, but his grin broke through. He'd always known that Leon accepted his weirder quirks but to have them not only accepted but actually requested? Well, that was new and Arthur decided he liked it – a lot. Happily, he pulled on Leon's arm to make him lean down slightly while getting on his toes, and he pressed a kiss to the other's cheek. Leon's cheeks grew red immediately, much to Arthur's amusement.

"Thanks”, the blond grinned up at the other.
"I- Why- Um, I mean, don't mention it? I'll do it every day if it means I get a kiss", the older man mumbled, sounding a bit dazed.
"All you have to do is ask, Leon. C'mon, we'll start over there!"

With that, Arthur grabbed Leon's hand, linking their fingers together, and pulled him towards one of the many glass cabinets.

Two hours later, they exited the museum again. Arthur was still gushing about all the facts he'd learnt while Leon was listening intently, one hand still intertwined with the blond's. With the other hand, he was carrying a bag from the museum's souvenir shop with limited-edition books on King Arthur and the medieval age. Arthur had been so excited to see them that even the cashier had taken notice. The older woman had hinted at some of the books being better than others, and Leon knew for a fact that she'd given Arthur a discount without the excited blond noticing. And Leon would be damned if he mentioned it now.

"So, are you hungry?", he asked once the blond fell silent.
"Mhm, yeah, I guess I could eat something. What about you?"
"You know me, I can always eat”, Leon smirked.

Arthur rolled his eyes but couldn’t help but smile.

"Yeah, I remember. Late lunch then?"
"Sounds like a plan. Any preferences?"
"Nope, not really. Whatever you feel like”, Arthur told his boyfriend.
"The small restaurant near Uni?"

Arthur tilted his head before nodding. Leon and he had discovered the hidden restaurant a few months ago, and it was their secret spot whenever they needed some quiet. Plus, the food was heavenly. And that was a rare feeling as they had both grown up in families with personal cooks that had learnt their crafts for years.
The owner, a nice older woman, knew them by now and usually lovingly pestered them about having lost weight and needing to take it easier. Leon knew that Arthur craved that kind of interaction since his mother had died shortly after his birth and his father was rarely present - being CEO of a big company wasn't good for your home life. At least when you were Uther Pendragon.

The moment they entered, Arthur started waving with his free hand to get Alice's attention. She looked up from whatever she was doing, and a wide smile appeared on her face as she quickly made her way towards them.

"Arthur, Leon! Boys, you've become gaunt, what are you eating?! Sit, sit! I'll prepare something that'll put some meat back on those ribs", she immediately started fussing, leading them to a table further in the back of the small establishment.

Arthur laughed softly but tried to ease her mind.

"Calm down, Alice, we're fine. You know how the University slaves us away. Oh, have you heard about Leon winning the last fencing tournament?"

Alice eyes widened slightly before she was ruffling Leon's hair.

"That's my boy! Gosh, I'm so proud. I'll prepare you a feast!"

And off she was. Arthur and Leon sat down, Leon going as far as to pull Arthur's chair out for him. The blond let his boyfriend do as he pleased, having to admit that it was nice to be treated this politely.

"So, did you like our first date?", Leon asked hopefully once he was seated as well.

Arthur didn’t really see a reason to lie or make a secret of how much he enjoyed the date.

"It was fantastic!”, the told Leon honestly before pouting a bit, “How am I supposed to top that?"
"You don't need to >top< anything”, the curlyhead assured him firmly, “I just wanted you to enjoy yourself without being out of your comfort zone more than you already were. Okay?"
"Yeah, but when I take you out it'll be great too."
"I don't doubt it", Leon smiled and threaded their fingers together again.

They kept talking about random things until Alice came back with two giant plates with various delicious-looking dishes on them. Her eyes lingered on their hands for a moment before her face broke into a grin.

"I see we have more than one thing to celebrate! Really, you two can't do anything in proportion, huh?"
"We aim to shock people”, Arthur replied with a charming grin.

Alice patted his cheek.

"Ah, you're too adorable to shock anyone, Arthur."

The blond pouted at that but thanked the woman for the food anyway. She winked at Leon, clapped them both on the backs and then disappeared again. They ate in comfortable silence, only interrupted by complimenting Alice when she came to bring them their usual drinks. Once they had said goodbye – and promised to come back soon – they wandered back towards Arthur's flat. Leon was still carrying the bag, having refused to let Arthur carry it on his own. The blond had pouted but eventually conceded on the matter.

Arthur invited Leon inside, and the taller man sat on the sofa while the blond sorted the books into his bookshelf. He was rambling about how they didn't only look good but also seemed to be interestingly written. Finally, Leon used his long arms to gently pull Arthur away from his treasure and onto his lap.

"Can I have my boyfriend's attention back, please?", he asked amusedly as Arthur blinked down on him.
"Huh? Why? I was paying attention to you!"
"Maybe in your peripherical”, Leon chuckled, “C'mon, we have courses again for the next few days and won't be able to talk too much."
"I know”, Arthur sighed, “But we could text and call at least. Right?"
"Definitely. Can I kiss you?"

Arthur chuckled as he put his arms around Leon's neck.

"Is it odd that I find it really nice of you to ask?", he wondered quietly.
"Maybe but not to me. I know you”, Leon smiled back.
"That you do. Yes, you can kiss me."

They traded kisses for a while before Arthur offered to watch a movie before Leon had to go home. So, they cuddled as the story unfolded on the screen but eventually, Leon announced that he really needed to go home, so he could sleep enough to be functional during his lectures the next day.

"We'll text and call, don't worry”, he assured Arthur as they stood at the front door.
"Mhm, but I'll miss the kisses."
"Maybe we could meet a few times whenever one of us has a bit of free time."

Arthur sighed. Gosh, they had only been a couple for a few days, and he already couldn't imagine not spending every day with Leon. He really had it bad. The ghost of a kiss had him return to reality though.

"Stop worrying, love."
"Easy for you to say”, Artur grumbled, “Thanks for today."
"It was a good date, wasn't it?"
"The best first date."
"Good”, the curlyhead hummed, “Next one is on you."

Leon kissed him on the cheek before starting down the stairs.

"Text me once you're home, so I don't have to worry, okay?", Arthur called after him.
"Yes. Love you!"
"Love you too."