aterat | A serious talk [Closed]

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A serious talk [Closed]

Who; Jacob Miller & Yuki Sohma.
What; Step 1 - apologizing for being an ass.
Where; Mage Tower.
When; January 13th-ish.
Warnings; None yet.

Jacob had no idea how he was going to start the conversation but he had taken Nida's advice to heart. He had a small bag of sweets in one hand and a cup of tea in the other. It wasn't cold anymore but he knew that Yuki didn't drink alcohol and he wasn't sure what else he could bring him. Then again, the tea might not have gotten so cold if Jacob had known where to find him.

He didn't want to call him because that felt too impersonal, so he began to look for Yuki the old fashion way... or you could call it the stalker way but Jake was trying his best to stay positive. He swung by a few places that the young man had hung out before finally making his way to the Mage Tower. Yuki had been looking for books about this worlds plant life the last time he'd been here and since Jake couldn't find the elusive man anywhere else, he hoped that he'd find Yuki searching for more books within its walls.

He was quiet when he stepped inside, his pale blue eyes glancing around the main entrance. He wasn't just going to peek his head in and leave. He had to look around and see if Yuki was actually here. He also couldn't shout, it was a library or at least a tower with a lot of books that Jake treated as a library.

After ten minutes of searching he found Yuki sitting on the floor near one of the bookshelves. There was a small pile of books at his side but this felt wrong. This wasn't the right section for information on plants.

He cleared his throat and slowly approached Yuki, his mouth went dry and for a long awkward 10 seconds he had forgotten what he was going to say. "Hey." He whispered lamely. "Can I talk to you for a second?" That was the lamest thing ever but it was at least a start...

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"That..makes sense." He'd seen crosses on a few students and knew a little bit about their religion. But it wasn't his growing up because his God was incarnate and..well there was so much baggage to unpack about that. But that wasn't important right now. Taking a steadying breath, he looked into Jacob's eyes. "It makes sense why you were so scared now."

Grey eyes slightly narrowed at Jacob's offer not to run and he waited to hear what was going to be said. But the serious face gave way to a soft look. "I never said that. But I really don't want a repeat of what happened even if I understand what happened." And whether or not he personally wanted to make a go of it had occurred to him, judging of course with the events that had happened prior to the knock down and a little bit after.

"So it really doesn't make any sense to rush into anything if being attracted to guys is still so new to you." Plus a part of him was still scared that Jacob might change his mind and decide that how he grew up was more important than him. So they both needed time and Yuki could recall vividly how devastating it had felt to have Haru just walk away as he did saying it was a good fight. And he hoped Machi had found someone else too, because it would be horribly and utterly selfish for him to hold out hope that she would wait for him.

Jacob felt uneasy but he was trying his best to give Yuki space. He didn't believe that he had any right to Yuki's trust, even if he yearned for it.

He had said what he came to say but now he didn't know what to do next. This was all so new to him. "The attraction isn't new... I just stopped lying to myself about it but- I'm okay with slow." It was something, even if Jacob had no idea what it meant.

In his experience, slowing down was what people said before they broke up. Except that he and Yuki hadn't really agreed to date... how did he do this? It's only now that he realized that this was the first time that he'd been the one to make the first move. In the past, he'd just let the world turn around him, and now he was trying to be a part of something.

"Maybe... um, a date? Sometime."

He was definitely listening and wanted to reach out. But he was still shy and was new to the idea of actually getting to date a guy. It did make him happy that Jacob was okay with slow though.

The date request got a surprised reaction out of him but really, they were both here. And with the 'some time' he wasn't sure whether the other actually wanted a date sooner than whenever 'some time' was. "Well if you haven't eaten today, maybe we could go out for dinner?" Yuki told himself he was okay with it if Jacob said no though he really hoped that wasn't the case here. He'd spent way too long with all of this alone.

"I can clean up my books and we can go, but if it's too soon..or you have things you need to look up too, that's okay." He didn't want to seem to eager but he didn't want to make it seem like they should wait forever in order to have a date. Did dancing at the Ball count as a date? Maybe not since it had ended so badly.

Jacob wasn't sure when they would go out on a date. He wanted to go right now but at the same time, he had wanted to make sure that he was taking things slowly. He was likely thinking too deeply about it but he didn't want to make the same mistake and make Yuki believe that he was unwanted.

His eyes perked up and his smile widened. "I'd like that. I haven't eaten yet today." He'd been so nervous and then had spent the better part of the day looking for Yuki.

"Ah" Jacob scratched the back of his head. "I had just come here looking for you. I wasn't sure where you lived or where you might be so... I walked around." It really did make him sound like a stalker.

Stalkers weren't uncommon to Yuki with his legion of fangirls believing that he was a prince. And due to what had happened between them Yuki was actually touched that Jacob had gone through all of the trouble that he had to try to make things right between them.

"That must've taken a lot of effort." And now he knelt and started to clean up his book pile, putting them back on the shelves to try and get them both out of there. This was weird as his mind scrambled to put a label to this. It had taken him a long time to date Machi but that was because of a certain complication of turning into a Rat. And it wasn't until that he was really serious about her that he had gone to talk to her about it.

Then he ended up here and had been here a few months. In that time Jacob had been a constant and Yuki always found himself looking forward to spending time with the man. Maybe he too had developed some sort of feelings that had gone unacknowledged. Maybe he would bring that up later, but he had to get this done first.

Jacob knelt next to Yuki and began to help put away the books that he'd take off the shelves. He wanted to talk about something that was easy and he chose to focus on the topic of the books at hand. "I read some about gardening. I started an herb garden in my apartment." Which he'd done while trying not to think about Yuki.

"What were you looking for this time? Same thing?" He glanced at the titles of the books but they didn't really make sense to him. They were some sort of magic books? Jacob turned one of the books over in his hands before sliding it back onto the shelf.

He couldn't help the smile that formed on his face when Jacob knelt to help him even if he was embarrassed now as to what the topics were about. But those thoughts were replaced by the man's nearness and the herb garden. It was very sweet of him and he wasn't sure how to express it properly so he thought of something else. "Was it easy to start? Is it growing okay?"

But then the topic of the books came up and he shook his head. He didn't want to keep secrets like this because he knew it wasn't healthy. "I was looking for a way to go home." The smile had come off of his face and he finished putting the last ones away. It didn't make him happy to admit it, but at the same time what was the point in being anywhere if he didn't matter.

And that was how hard he'd taken this.

He hesitated before asking the first question that popped into his head. "Oh. Do you... still want to go home?" Jacob had always felt displaced but he had been hoping to change that here. He wanted a fresh start and since they were trying to start off fresh, he decided not to dwell on what Yuki had been searching for.

He offered Yuki a confident smile while putting away the last book. "The garden wasn't hard to start but I'm not sure that it's growing well, even inside. I have the pots next to the window but none of the seeds have sprouted yet." He was not good at gardening. "I was sorta hoping to ask for your help then..." His voice trailed off a little awkwardly. "Then I could try and cook for you."

Try being the operative word.

The silver head lowered and he didn't move after Jacob asked his question because now he felt guilty about it. So his voice came out in a low whisper as his shoulders slumped defeatedly. "No."

But then Jacob's smile made him feel so much better about everything as he listened to the story about the garden. "I can take a look at them for you." It would make him really happy to be able to help the man out but he didn't want to try and make the other give him a day to come over so he just stayed quiet.

The smile then came back out even if it was a gentler one as he looked up at the handsome man beside him. "We can look for some cookbooks if you want to since we're here anyway." He only offered because he heard the word try. Was that the man's way of trying to repay the gardening thing, or was Jacob trying in his way to take care of him?

Either way, Yuki felt like his heart was melting.

"I'd like that." He laughed and awkwardly scratched the back of his neck. "I actually have some cooking books. I wasn't going to tell you right until I got better but... turns out I'm not too good at surprises." He paused and thought about what they could do.

"How about this? After we eat, we can walk back to my place, I can show you the cookbooks and you can save the herbs so that we can actually use them." He'll most likely ask for cooking lessons from friends but he'll try and keep that much a secret from Yuki. Jacob was an awful cook but he was willing to try.

"But then I want to walk you home." Like a good date would and maybe... maybe he'd try and steal one more kiss at the end of the night.

He smiled at the not being good at surprises part and listened as Jacob came up with a plan. Reaching his hand up he then tucked a strand of silver up behind his ear and just smiled. "That sounds like a good plan."

And after every last book was away, he stood up and picked up the cup and candy. That was when he heard the part about walking him home. Yuki couldn't help it as he turned to look at the other, his grey eyes were just so focused and fixed on that face. The offer was really just so touchingly sweet and protective that he couldn't find a voice for a few moments. But when he did, the tone was hushed and full of wonder.

"You..want to walk me home?"

Jacob pushed himself up to his feet and brushed off his pants. He wasn't wearing his jeans from home but a pair of light work pants that he'd gotten from the tailor. They had kept trying to dress him up but when he'd said he was a carpenter, they had finally started to give him clothes that were practical.

His head rose and his gaze landed on Yuki. "Of course." His response was straight forward and single. Jake hadn't thought of letting him walk home alone, even if it was a short distance between the apartments. He had asked Yuki out and it was his duty to see the young man home afterwards.

"Unless you get tired of me." He inclined his head in a nod to show that Jacob was going to lead him to a place to get food. He had somewhere in mind, though it had only just popped into his head. "I told you I'm not running anymore." Which he said aloud for both Yuki's sake and his own.

There was just something in the sincerity of Jacob's tone that had Yuki simply stop and watch the other's movements as he stood. And to it he couldn't help but give a small smile. It was very thoughtful that the other would offer do such a thing even if it was completely unnecessary in his own mind.

A blush then spread across his face and he turned away before it could get too bad. "No, I won't get tired of you." It was really more like he wouldn't ever, but he couldn't say that because that would be too much. He turned back around once he was sure his face was under control and again the sincerity of Jacob's tone hit him about not running away which left him speechless.

There were still so many questions but he couldn't bring himself to ask them. What did this make them with going to dinner and being walked home? What did they do now? Did Jacob want to hold hands? A sigh came out and his head just swam with unanswered questions.

So for now Yuki followed mutely behind.

Jacob didn't know what to do either.

He wanted to give Yuki his space but at that same moment, he wanted to press his friend against the wall and feel the soft heat of Yuki's mouth against his. Jake tried to shake away the desire but it burned within him and it took everything he had to keep himself under control. It felt like a floodgate had lifted and he didn't know how to hold back the tide.

"Huh?" Jake turned back towards Yuki and laughed. "Come on. I don't bite or..." His head tilted to the side. "I won't. You can walk next to me." He didn't think to take Yuki's hand. Jake didn't even think about it. He wasn't used to public displays of affection.

"I found a place that is a little less busy than a tavern. We should be able to talk there. They also have really good tea."

Feeling himself curl up inside of himself at being so nervous, Yuki fought not to show it at least. So he just smiled which actually turned into a shy laugh at Jacob's words about not biting. That gave him the little push needed in order to walk beside the other. And his mind wondered at that whole biting comment which caused him to hide his face for a bit as it mentally worked out what that would be like.

It was so weird. Of all of the things he could picture happening in his place, something like this was nowhere on that list nor would it ever have been really. And the silver haired head turned towards Jacob as he talked about where they were going to eat. So of course that in turn had him ask a question or two.

"You've been there already? What kind of food do they have?"

Jacob slid his hands into his pockets, happy that Yuki was willing to walk along his side as they headed towards the small parlor that he had in mind. It wasn't a particularly masculine location but they'd have privacy and he hoped that would put Yuki at ease.

He found himself smiling at Yuki though having to look back at the sidewalk so that he could lead them without getting lost. "Finger food I think. I haven't eaten there yet. I was there to work on the front counter for work. The women who worked there told me that I should come by and bring someone special." He shrugged. "I hope you don't mind."

Jacob's pace slowed when he neared the corner of a light blue and white building. There were light sheer curtains over the windows, making it look like a home except that there was a sign that read 'The tea room' over the front door with an 'open' sign hooked on silver rings below it.

"Here we are."

Jacob had a really nice smile and Yuki turned his head away unless he wanted to get caught staring. So he walked alongside and let his thoughts tumble around in his head, not really in search of any answers. The finger food sounded fine and he nodded about the work thing. The other must've met so many different people that way.

But he stopped at hearing the 'someone special' thing. And Jacob had just kept walking so he hurried to get where the other was. "A tea room." Yuki whispered. He then looked up at Jacob.

"They have these at home though I can't say I've been to one."

"Mm," His pace slowed when it seemed like something had caught Yuki off guard. Jake wasn't going to outpace his date.

He hadn't said it directly but Yuki was special. He was the first boy who Jacob had admitted having feelings for, the first person that he was taking a chance on. It was a big deal and as chill as Jacob tried to act, his heart was trembling. He was terrified of his future. He had a habit of losing the people he loved in incredibly gruesome ways.

"I'm sure they have some where I'm from too but it isn't really a place I've ever been in before. At least as a customer." Jake pushed open the door and gestured for Yuki to enter. He then followed behind and smiled at the woman behind the counter.

The woman was older with a motherly air to her. Gray hair twisted into a bun on her head while a floral apron covered a light blue dress around her waist. Her eyes brightened when she saw Jacob but quickly glanced curiously to Yuki.

"Hey." Jake spoke with a grin. "I figured I'd try it out as a customer this time. I hope you have a table for two open."

Yuki had been thinking of future too, and now he really wished he had spoken to the Aspects. This was all new to him too and he wanted to not make any mistakes and scare the other off again so brave faces would go on although deep down he was scared and worried. But he tried to push those thoughts out of his mind and concentrate on Jacob's words regarding the place.

The woman behind the counter seemed nice but he wasn't sure what to do when those eyes became focused on him. Still, he just smiled politely and the two were brought soon enough to a table to be seated. He didn't know what to expect but the atmosphere seemed pretty nice and laid back.

The place didn't seem very busy at the moment so he was fine with that. And he just kept a smile. "How long ago did you do construction on this place?"

Jacob felt a little uncomfortable. Not because he was here with Yuki but because he was silently admitting to his preference and he really didn't know what the people here would think. It shouldn't matter but this world was so different from his home and its Victorian style made him think that they might be stuck in the Victorian mind set as well.

"Huh?" He looked over at Yuki while taking a seat at their table. It was behind a small curtain with another table to their left but for the moment they were alone and out of view of the main dinning area. "Sorry. I haven't been this far into the store. I worked on the front desk. That whole section had been rebuilt and painted."

He nodded towards the front when the woman returned with a tea tray and a list of tea's and small dishes that could be ordered. She smiled at Jacob and pinched his cheek like a grandmother, "That's right. He built in a bench for me without asking and even put a cushion on it. Such a thoughtful lad. I'll be back for your order in a moment." She left and Jake winched.

"Ah. Yeah." He focused on Yuki and all of his worries suddenly disappeared. It didn't matter what anyone thought, as long as they could sit like this. "Thanks for coming with me. What do you think of the place?" Jake didn't really look at the menu because he didn't know anything about tea. He'd order a sample of all of the tea sandwiches and some pastries but the tea itself would likely mirror whatever Yuki chose.

"Oh." Well there went the one gambit of conversation that he had. The rest of his mind kind of blanked because the lady came in and backed up Jacob's story though it wasn't as if he didn't believe the man. So he just smiled from her to the blonde.

Conversation seemed awkward so as Yuki prepared to stare at the menu, his eyes met the other's. Something seemed to change and make the other more relaxed suddenly and he silently wondered at the change. But he didn't bring it up and just nodded to the gratitude. "It seems really nice here, it's kind of relaxing."

He really wanted to ask if there was something wrong, but he was half afraid of what the answer would be so he didn't.

"Yeah. It is." Jacob laughed a little awkwardly. "It's a little more relaxing when I'm not working." It was also very cute though Jake didn't feel like he should point that out. Guys did not refer to things as cute.

"It's also-" He felt awkward but he was trying his best to keep it under control. "This is the first time I've gone on a date like this. I feel a little less nervous now that we're sitting down." He wasn't sure why but it was how he was feeling and he wanted to continue being honest with Yuki while navigating his feelings.

"I think this place is perfect for that kind of thing." He finally glanced down at the menu though Jake still had no idea what he was looking at. "I have no idea what these teas are." His gaze rose to Yuki. "Do you know? Maybe you can pick out something and we can share a pot?"

Yuki had to smile at Jacob's awkward laugh because it was adorable. But it might be impolite to say such a thing so he didn't. "I can imagine it's better to not be working and being able to relax."

His silver head canted to the side slightly as the other went on about how it was less awkward with sitting down and he nodded. Hopefully his own nervousness wasn't showing as he was trying to tell himself it was just two people out on a date that other people did all of the time. Yuki was looking for ways to ground himself and not make a big deal out of this because he had done that with the Ball and their private dance. And that had ended pretty badly.

"Well it's not something as formal as dinner, so this would be a better place for a date." He didn't want to term it 'first date' because maybe that was too much pressure. But he could help with the teas that Jacob seemed to be puzzling over so he smiled. "We drink green tea back home, and they have it here so we can do that."

Jacob chuckled softly. "Yeah? I'm actually pretty bad at relaxing."

He awkwardly scratched the back of his neck as he continued. "It's probably why I work too much." He hadn't thought it was possible to work too much but he'd gotten comments back home and then again here. His boss at the workshop never wasted a moment to voice his opinion. Though... Jake suspected that was because Garry had worked alone for the last several years.

Jake leaned forward and scooted a bit closer, peering down at the menu in Yuki's hand. "That sounds good. Is that your favorite kind of tea?" He looked up to meet Yuki's gaze before settling back down in his chair. His knees lightly tapped against Yuki's but Jake didn't want to move further away; even the lightest touch sent pleasant shivers through his limbs.

While listening to Yuki he glanced over to the old kindly woman who was serving them so they could order the tea as well as a snack.

"Well I've heard that working too much isn't a good thing." He hadn't had to work back home with having an allowance for being the Rat of the zodiac. Plus his family's fortune and good name had allowed him to get into college without any issues though he had to do all of the work to maintain it on his own. But it put Miss Honda in mind because she worked real hard.

And he wasn't quite sure what to make of Jacob scooting closer but he didn't mind. They were on a date of sorts so getting closer to each other would be a normal thing, right? So he tried to tilt the menu a little more so that it silently encouraged the other as well as letting him non verbally know the closeness was comfortable and accepted even if why he was being looked at was a bit confusing. "I wouldn't know about favourite because there's just so many different teas. There's Blueberry, Strawberry.."

And that's when his voice stopped at feeling Jacob's leg touch his. He sucked in a breath and tried to act normal. Once he regained some breathing skill, he realized the older woman was coming over.

Act normal, act normal, act normal.

The list of teas gives Jake a theatrical vision of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory with blueberries growing to ridiculous sizes to then be popped into a thick blue tea and strawberry bushes that grow in cup shapes with the tea gathered in the cup like a bit of sweet nectar. He quickly shakes away the odd images and turns when the older woman approaches.

"Oh. Yes." He feels his cheeks flush when her eyes note the new location of his chair. "Can we please have a pot of green tea and strawberry tea? Also the three-tier finger plate sample?" Jacob flashes a warm smile that encourages the old woman to leave without pressing any of her questions onto him, though he imagines that the next time he's working he's going to get a visit at the shop.

His attention turns back to Yuki and his heart flutters nervously in his chest. Yuki hasn't pulled away but Jake is pushing things a bit, and he doesn't know if this is okay. It's only a light touch but it feels as if the world is being poured into the palm of his hands. "Is this okay?" It's hard to tell what Jake is referring to; the tea, their legs, the chair... and he's a little too nervous to elaborate.

Grey eyes looked to Jacob wondering where he'd suddenly gotten the ideas for everything that he ordered. He didn't ask any questions though and wasn't about to with the older lady standing there. So he just nodded and smiled along because it seemed like it was the best thing to do.

Once she was gone Yuki suddenly felt very alone with Jacob. It wasn't a bad thing, it was just different. So he looked over at the other and had no idea what the other was even talking about. But the only thing that came to mind was the food order because he hadn't consulted with him though that was fine in itself because he had truthfully been a little lost with all of it.

"Yes, it's fine."

And while he was fine with it there was still the mental flailing that he found himself doing. Why had the other moved closer to him? Not that it was a problem, it was just his curiosity getting the better of him here. Should he ask if something was wrong?

"Good." Jake felt a little more comfortable than he had at the beginning of the date but it all felt a little awkward too. Yuki was tense and he really didn't know how to help the man relax. It probably didn't help that he was so nervous. He's been on dates before but this was still a first for him.

"Um... I guess we should talk about home? Family? First-" His face warmed. "-Date stuff."

It didn't take long for the sandwiches and tea to arrive, interrupting Jacob's train of thought. It was a super awkward silence as she placed a tower of small tea sandwiches between them and then two pots of tea. It didn't take long but the seconds felt like hours.

Jacob only exhaled a sigh of relief when the woman had left them alone again.

Yuki's face turned slightly red. "I've never been on a real date before." It was embarrassing to admit but he and Machi hadn't gotten to that point. Sure he'd bought and given her stuff and she'd bought him a bag of fertilizer for his plants but the curse stayed in the way of all of that. There was the date he went on with Miss Honda but that really wasn't a real date because Kyo had been in tow with Kagura.

As far as family went, he wasn't too keen to discuss the Sohmas. But he supposed that he could at least say he had parents and a brother and of course lots of cousins. He wouldn't dream of getting into the family curse or anything like that, but he could mention a few things here and there. And he didn't think discussing family wealth was important either because that would just lead to more questions.

The tea and sandwiches came really fast and suddenly there were weird barriers. But Yuki was the first to reach out and move them because he was sure the lady hadn't meant to place them there.

"Didn't you tell me you had a sister?" He figured he'd start there because talking about Jacob's family seemed safer.

Jacob's family wasn't exactly a safe topic either but since he'd brought it up, it was too late to backpedal. "I do. Her name is Ariana but I usually just call her Airy. She's actually the reason I moved from New York to Seatle." The reasons for the move were more complicated than that but it wasn't first date stuff. "She's my older sister but much older than me. By 7 years I think?"

He waited a bit before pouring himself and then Yuki tea. He was happy that Yuki had broken the tension and had admitted that he hadn't really been on a real date before either. It meant that Jacob probably couldn't totally mess this up.

"Do you have any siblings?"

"So you lived in the United States." Yuki replied. Well it wasn't unusual to have exchange students come to the high school and then college from there. And then as he smiled about the tea being poured for him there went the question about siblings. Well it was a fair question.

"My brother Ayame is older by ten years. And he's the only sibling I have." This information was true and it was interesting to have to talk about the Snake as such. But should the elder sibling appear (which he severely hoped not) then at least knowing who he was wouldn't be a shock.

The very outgoing personality and complete opposite of Yuki would more than likely be a shock however.

He debated on a few of the things to snack on since never having never tried them before, but politely he took some to put on his plate. "Did you move to Seattle for school or just because she was on the other coast?"

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A serious talk [Closed]

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