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 Posted: Wed May 14, 2014 1:14 pm
By the time they show was over and they had left, Harland opted to have them walk the equally short distance to the restaurant. Everything he'd planned for was so close together; it seemed a nicer way to go about things. The streets of Galway's downtown were lit by lanterns hanging beside the same shops that had been glimmering earlier. As they were nearing the restaurant, Harland excused himself for a moment, saying: "I've just got to duck in here a moment an' collect some things. You're welcome to come too." He gestured at the door of a shop. It was unmarked, black varnished wood with a small fish-shaped lantern hanging beside its window.
Inside, the shop looked like a maze. There were rows upon rows of display cases and shelves and racks of old, though clean, clothing. The whole shop smelled faintly of metal. Harland made a quick line to an old woman working at the back of the shop, greeting her in Irish. They had a brief, hushed conversation, following which she pulled out a package wrapped in brown paper. Harland smiled, paid her, and gave her his thanks before he turned back to make sure Alistaire was ready to go, too. "Not quite much time for shoppin' this visit, hope that's okay," he apologized. "I'd made arrangements to pick this up before I left. Some whiskey an' a blanket with my mum's clan colours an' some preserves...things I miss," he explained.
That wasn't really why he had gotten this stuff here. Inside was a gift. A very small gift that Alistaire couldn't know about.
Heading back outside, the rain had easily stopped, but the air remained fresh and faintly cool. Harland took a deep breath, and admired the lights as they shone in the window of the restaurant. They were star shaped, and they were lovely.
Aniar had a lot of white and steel going on inside, in contrast with the rustic and brightly coloured look of the Galway streets. In english, he told them about the reservation, and instead of seating them on the main floor, they were led upstairs to a broad stone terrace on the roof of the building. Black iron wrought railings in old patterns guarded the edges of the terrace, and it gave them an excellent view over galway bay. They were seated in a corner behind some very lovely potted plants bearing fruit, and handed the menu.
"If it gets too cold up here, we can move inside," he said, "or you can wear the jacket as long as you need. I just thought maybe it'd be nice to see some of those," Harland said, gesturing across towards the bay.
As if on cue, a burst of timed fireworks went off, styled after red roses.
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Posted: Wed May 14, 2014 2:39 pm
He was grateful for the short walk, because it meant just easily moving form one thing to the next without too much worry. Alistaire slid his gloved hands into the pockets of his slacks and followed alongside Harland, his gaze still roaming the different shops and stores with interest. It was relatively dark outside now, strings of lanterns illuminating their path, and Harland turned into one shop in particular, quiet and unobtrusive. Alistaire lifted a brow.
"By all means," he said lightly, stepping after Harland.
It was nice and dark inside, filled with clothes and Alistaire let himself wander around while Harland did whatever it was that he wanted to do. The brown paper package was eyed curiously, but Alistaire didn't comment on it, merely offered a vague smile to Harland as they stepped back into the rain misted streets.
"It's a very lovely town, I must admit," he said. Harland's jacket was still around his shoulders, Alistaire not having bothered to take it off just yet. "Very quaint and personable - rather like you, I suppose," he added, with a smirk in Harland's direction. "Colorful."
The restaurant was equally so, simple and lit by glowing blue stars. Alistaire looked at them for a few seconds before moving inside - and then promptly back outside again, to a seat on the terrace. It was mildly surprising, but it was nice, and it was quiet, only a single other couple seated a few tables away from theirs.
A couple. Alistaire's face flushed slightly, and hastily he dragged the menu up to look at it, hoping to hide his reddened cheeks. "Your jacket will do for now," he said, flicking his eyes up and down the menu, but the fireworks were distracting and he found he kept looking sideways at them, watching the brightness cascade over the small town. It was loud and noisy, but oddly he didn't seem to mind them, a faint smile tugging at the corners of Alistaire's lips.
"You've certainly thought this through, haven't you?" he said with amusement. "And I think I'll have the venison."
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Posted: Wed May 14, 2014 2:48 pm
"Colours are a comfort to me," he admitted, "An' the noise an' bright lights an' people make me feel safe-- invisible, I can move amongst 'em and pretend I'm just like 'em, like there's nothin' worth hidin'," he said. He didn't exactly take it as an insult, though he'd just been called quaint.
Harland nodded, glad the jacket would keep Alistaire warm for now. He was busy scanning the menu. He himself was like a furnace, as Alistaire had undoubtedly noticed. "Death Division, remember?" Harland joked, out of earshot of the other couple, grinning in the lopsided way. He nearly laughed when he dug through his brain labyrinth to find the definition of turbot. A kind of flat fish, it also loved burying itself low like stingrays did. "Guess I'm about to find out what turbot tastes like," he said, honestly not sure if it was a good idea.
The faint smile was beautiful. Harland snuck a glance of Alistaire's face from over his own menu, admiring that slight look of amusement. The fireworks show wouldn't last long, anyway, just until slightly after they had ordered. Harland set his menu down. "How do ye feel about wine with dinner?" Harland asked, with a grin. "Not that I know much about 'em, for once. Would have t' ask, unless you happen to know," he said, clasping his hands in front of him.
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Posted: Wed May 14, 2014 3:01 pm
He was breaking proper etiquette in doing so, but Alistaire rested his elbows on the table, linking his fingers together and resting his chin on top of them, surveying Harland from beneath his lashes. "Yes, I can see that. You take comfort in the chaos, isn't that how it goes? You lose yourself in the midst of chaos."
He exhaled a breath in a short sigh. "Yes, Death Division suits you well, Mr. Belle," he said. "Though it still surprises me, I must say."
His own menu had already been pushed aside, Alistaire absently rubbing a gloved thumb alongside of his jaw. He flicked a gaze towards Harland, remembering all too well the last time he had had alcohol with him, and Alistaire's face grew slightly red. He pressed his lips together, a small smirk, and said with amusement, "As long as it's good wine, and as long as you're paying, I'm good with whatever you think is best."
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Posted: Wed May 14, 2014 3:09 pm
"Is that it?" he asked, softly, curious; "I just like it because I can observe, an' learn, when no one is watching me." Like a little spy. A very tanned, freckled, conspicuous spy-- but he hadn't always looked so vibrant.
"If I don't keep surprisin' you, what'll you stick around for?" he asked, smiling warmly. "I am payin', yeah-- you think I'd take you here without a say, on a date, and not?" he looked more than a little aghast at the thought.
That was a terrifying scenario. Just thinking about it made him uncomfortable. "We can get a couple glasses. If we like it, and see a point, then we can see about a bottle," he said, with a nod. Moderation was something Harland liked a lot.
And if it was with food, in small quantities, the alcohol would probably be fine. Besides, they didn't have to drive the portal home.
Dates, as he was finding out, were exhausting, no matter how great the company was-- or maybe that was why it was so exhausting, all the days of planning and execution and how nervous he'd been and all the things they'd crammed into one date. It was largely out of necessity: since they only had a couple days a month to leave the island, was it that surprising he'd tried to net them so much time's worth for their date?
When the waiter arrived, and they ordered, the catch was this: Harland had white wine suggested to him, and Alistaire red. It turned out okay for now; going with the glass idea, they were brought two separate ones to try. Harland took a sip of the white wine and tried not to grimace.
He was a whiskey guy. And in a pinch, maybe red wine. White... tasted not like wine. It was, to harland, a bit like grape water.
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Posted: Wed May 14, 2014 3:31 pm
"People are always watching, whether we see them or not," said Alistaire vaguely, glancing out as another smattering of fireworks lit the sky around them. He absently rubbed at his jaw again and then turned back to Harland, his expression flickering slightly as he pushed the menu off to one side, fiddling with his napkin.
"I haven't left yet, have I?" he said lightly. "So far, you've kept my interest, Mr. Belle."
The waiter came by and Alistaire let Harland order for him, sliding the menu into the waiter's outstretched hand. Harland's cheeks were red; they had turned pink at the suggestion of white wine, which entertained Alistaire for reasons he couldn't fathom (maybe he just liked seeing Harland caught off guard). But the waiter came back with the glasses and Alistaire picked his up, swirling it around a little in his glass. He tipped it towards Harland.
"Isn't this where we have some sort of nonsensical toast about the evening?" he said with amusement. "How about this - a toast to Ireland. That's more substantial than toasting to an emotion or a feeling."
Without waiting for a response, Alistaire tapped his glass lightly against Harland's and then raised it to his lips, taking a swallow. He watched Harland over the rim and then licked his lips and set the glass back down, an unexpected laugh escaping his throat.
"You really don't like wine, do you?" he said, just as the food arrived.
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Posted: Wed May 14, 2014 8:10 pm
Harland ignored the so far. He supposed that, like with anyone, Alistaire could lose interest in him. There was no use worrying about it.
"I do love my country," Harland said, whispering, "even if I'd rather toast to meeting you," with his lips poised to touch the glass, so that his voice was muffled by its edge right before he drank some of his wine after clinking it to Alistaire's glass.
Harland looked up at Alistaire, startled, as he laughed. The sound was ... wonderful. Harland couldn't even describe it. It was enough to make his heart swell, to make him desperately want to lean over the table, push everything out of the way, and kiss him--
Harland was still red. "Not much, no, if I'm bein' honest," he admitted. He shrugged a shoulder, smiled lopsidedly, and picked up his utensils. "Time t' find out what this tastes like," he said, actually pretty stoked about it.
And ravenous.
He still tried to eat politely, cut things into good pieces, chew with his mouth shut. He was smiling softly to himself, looking down at his plate, as if thinking of something that made him profoundly happy.
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Posted: Wed May 14, 2014 8:20 pm
He still heard it, even if it was muffled, and the tips of Alistaire's ears went slightly red. He tried to ignore it, and instead let a serene smile touch his lips as he swished the wine around in his glass again, absently watching it move.
"If you put it that way, our meeting was inevitable," he said lightly. "What with who my brother is and all."
He hadn't meant to say that much, but there it was, out in the open; or at least a part of it. To his credit, he wasn't blushing, merely regarding Harland with a quiet sort of look, lips pressed together thoughtfully. Alistaire lowered his glass back down to the table, and the waiter slid a plate of food in front of him the smells of it wafting towards him. He hadn't realized how hungry he was until now, and Alistaire picked up his knife and fork, slowly and methodically organizing the food on his plate until it was precisely how he wanted it to be.
By the time he had everything just right, it seemed Harland had eaten half of his food already. Alistaire flushed a little and hastily sped up the process, his eyes flickering briefly towards the smile on Harland's face before focusing on his own plate.
It was several awkward moments later that he finally spoke again.
"So," said Alistaire, dabbing his mouth with his napkin. He set his fork down, though most of his food still remained. "Am I to assume that all of this..." He waved a hand at the terrace, the city, the long gone fireworks. "...was thought up by you within the last five days?"
The corners of his lips twitched a little. "I wouldn't call that slow, Mr. Belle, no matter what you think of yourself."
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Posted: Wed May 14, 2014 8:47 pm
Harland looked up at Alistaire, but didn't reply, just smiled sadly again. He didn't want to talk about Ian, and he didn't want to think about Ian. He didn't have anything worth saying about it. Although he was behaving, Harland still appeared to be shovelling food into himself at a rate like twice what Alistaire was achieving.
He tried to slow down a bit. It was easier now that he wasn't practically starving. Harland needed a lot of food to run his body. Like a black hole of food. "Mhmm, since the day you agreed to go on this date, I've been plannin' an' schedulin' and orderin' tickets and makin reservations," he said, having set his utensils down to count on his fingers.
"I'm not so bad, maybe," Harland said. "Was all for you, though. For us," he said, with a smile, picking his utensils back up and finishing his food quietly. He drank sips of wine, now and again.
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Posted: Wed May 14, 2014 9:00 pm
All for him.
It was a foreign concept - as Ian had said before he'd left what girl would want to date you? Alistaire had never been a stranger to his own feelings; he'd always admired girls from a distance, but that had been it. He wasn't the sort to go up and ask them out, mostly because he was relatively sure no one in their right mind would have said yes to him in the first place. Not only that, but he had never found the time for relationships before.
And yet here he was, not only on an actual date, but on a date with a man, no less.
He couldn't wrap his mind around it.
Alistaire took another slow bite of food, but his stomach was mostly full (he never did eat much, especially when he was anxious, and this entire date had been one anxious ride after the other). Swallowing, he reached for his wine glass again and said, "As I said, 'slow' is a very relative term."
He was grateful for the wineglass which hid part of his face as he took a swallow, Alistaire's cheeks reddening. Us, Harland had said. Not just you anymore, but an us, and he felt his fingers begin to tremble. Alistaire hastily set the glass back down and laid his hands in his lap to hide them under the pretense of smoothing his napkin down over his legs.
"Well," he said, keeping his tone deliberately light. "I'm flattered that you would go to such great lengths, though I hardly think I'm worth all the trouble."
It was said casually, though a strange tone ran through it; a discordant note not quite in line with the apparent ease of his statement. Alistaire leaned back in his chair, setting his napkin on the table and taking another sip of wine. His hands had settled now, the shaking reduced to barely visible tremors.
"Shall we finish off the evening with a walk back to the portal?" Alistaire asked.
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Posted: Wed May 14, 2014 10:08 pm
Harland had always thought women were beautiful, and for a while, he'd thought surely he just hadn't met the right one or was this normal? And over time, the only person he'd fallen in love with was a man. And then again, a guy. And it seemed like a third time, a man again: the one sitting across from him.
Harland raised a brow at Alistaire, and played with the stem of his wineglass. "You are always worth this," Harland said, his voice as stern as it would ever get. "I'm certain you were before we met, too," he added, staring very obstinately at him.
His serious face broke as he replied: "First, I'm goin' to get a dessert to take back with me! Want anythin'?" Harland asked. If he did, he'd place the order with his own, to go. If not, Harland would grab his, the bill, leave the tip, and grab his parcel along with the dessert to go. Before he did, he stopped by the railing, looking out into Galway bay. It was beautifl. "Would ye oblige me?" Harland asked, setting his stuff down on the table again briefly to take out his phone, "Just one photo?" he asked. "Normally if I really... care, I just sketch the memory," he said, "but this once... it'd be nice to have a photo of you on my phone."
Admittedly Harland felt a little weird about asking, but his desire to have at least one photo in case he started to doubt Alistaire was real, or that this date had happened, was more overwhelming. One photo, so that in case Alistaire left forever, he'd still have that.
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Posted: Wed May 14, 2014 10:18 pm
He let his fingers drift absently up and down the stem of his own wineglass, Alistaire's gaze directed outwards at the view and the sky rather than at Harland. He couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of attention he was getting; by the unending positivity and encouragement that Harland kept giving him, regardless of anything he'd done and anything he'd tried to explain (or not explain, as the case may be). At every turn, every twist, Harland was there with his brightness and his enthusiasm, and Alistaire did not understand it.
He shook his head at the question and then pushed back his chair once Harland's dessert was received, wandering over to the rail to look over it; but it wasn't until he heard Harland's question. Alistaire turned around to look at him, and his face was flushed, a light breeze tousling his hair. The terrace was empty now, the other table having already left, and with just the two of them...
Alistaire turned so his back was against the rail, his arms bent and his fingers curled against the metal guard. His face was still lightly flushed, but the faintest flicker of something else had passed across his eyes before it was replaced by a stoic calm.
"Go ahead, then," he said, lifting his chin.
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Posted: Wed May 14, 2014 10:50 pm
He couldn't help the optimism. That was how he always tried to be. He'd been alone for such a long time, with only himself: he never had anyone to cheer him on. When Auberon left, or rather died, that had been the end of his friends. The only person who remained was his own self, and without some kind of hope why would he have bothered to continue? So he'd become his own personal cheerleader, and he'd come to terms with everything being just as it was.
"Mm," Harland mumbled, in his throat, acknowledging the permission but without being able to speak: Alistaire was gorgeous, and Harland was grateful for at least the opportunity to take this one picture. He snapped a photo, and put his phone back into his vest pocket.
"Thanks," he said, smiling. "Ready to go?" Harland looked around, making sure no one was even remotely in sight. He leaned in, his voice low and quiet. "Would you mind terribly if I took this opportunity to kiss your cheek, before we go home?" he asked, "a goodnight kiss."
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Posted: Wed May 14, 2014 10:57 pm
He smoothed down the front of his shirt, his vest, his tie, anything to keep his hands occupied while Harland fiddled with his phone. Once the picture was taken, Alistaire stepped away from the railing, intending to leave, but Harland had moved closer, and he found suddenly he couldn't breathe properly. His stomach twisted, anxiety shooting up and down his veins.
He opened his mouth once, twice, and then shut it again.
"It's not goodnight yet, Mr. Belle," said Alistaire finally. He stepped around Harland and made for the door that led off of the terrace and back into the restaurant; but he stopped before he opened it, his gloved hand resting on the handle. He didn't turn around, his shoulders slightly hunched, but after a moment he slowly looked at Harland, his cheeks tinged red.
He had the feeling he was going to regret this, but he said it anyway.
"Goodnight is after you walk me to my door," he said. "After you accomplish that, I see no reason why you can't have...what you've asked for."
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Posted: Wed May 14, 2014 11:06 pm
Harland shrugged a shoulder, smiling still. "Hmm, too bad. Then it's not what I asked for, any more," he said, sounding amused by the idea that a kiss on a terrace in Galway was the same as a kiss on Deus in the dark.
Where he had to hide away even more than he did now. Where people knew who they were. Where he couldn't hold Alistaire's hand, or go anywhere with him if anyone else was around.
Harland followed Alistaire back into the restaurant, and walked back to the portals quietly, hands in his pockets. He wasn't mad, not even remotely. He was relieved Alistaire said no: the fact that Alistaire would meant that the times he said yes were sincere. Harland was definitely exhausted. Carrying the parcel and dessert tucked securely under one arm, he hummed to himself idly, lost in thought.
Home. It was nice to be home, even for a half day.
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