route_1065 | How do we shot dating

Entry tags:

How do we shot dating

Who: Isaac McDougal (

glaciates) and Solf J. Kimblee (

explosivecombat)
Where: Route 34
When: April 21, evening
Summary: Kimblee and Isaac attempt this "dating" thing.
Rating: PG to PG-13
Log:

[April 13. Eight days ago. Maybe it was naive of him (or far too sentimental), but he wouldn't be forgetting that date any time soon. That was the day he accidentally texted the entire network, asking for advice in a relationship. It was supposed to be private to Hughes, but... Well, he can't really complain. Things worked out.]

[...He's dating Solf J. Kimblee. He's not sure what to do with this knowledge. Other than smile stupidly when he's certain people aren't looking.]

[He's actually been in a much better mood for the past week. Normally he spends his time avoiding people and Goldenrod City entirely. That hasn't changed much; he only enters the city occasionally, usually in search of Kimblee. He's relaxing a bit more and he's not quite as worried about being attacked.]

[Isaac is finally getting used to being in Johto. Things are finally settling in. He really couldn't be happier.]

[That said, going on an actual date with Kimblee isn't something he'd actually considered. Dating in general isn't something Isaac is very comfortable with - but then again, what is he comfortable with? ~~Other than reassuring everyone that he's a horrible person, obviously.~~ So when he told Kimblee he was interested in a relationship... well, he hadn't thought it out this far in advance. Kimblee was supposed to turn him down. This wasn't supposed to happen.]

[Not like he's complaining or anything.]

[Isaac is much more comfortable outside of Goldenrod City, and he's currently standing on the shore of the river alongside Route 34. He spends the majority of his time around water - it's a force of habit by now. He can't use his alchemy, but he feels much safer when he does have a source of water nearby. He's not thinking about that, though; he's more focused on the fact that he has no idea what to do on a date with Kimblee. He normally doesn't have any idea what to do on dates but this is different. It's... well, it's a date with a man. This wasn't something that happened very often back home. Openly gay men weren't very common in 1915, after all.]

[Cornelius, Isaac's Surskit, is currently perched on his shoulder, keeping an eye out for danger - or more likely, Kimblee. Isaac's a bit too lost in his own thoughts to notice anyone anyway.]

[Oh, and if you're wondering, Kimblee, this was totally your idea. You did suggest it, after all! ...You totally know this is a date, right? Of course you do.]

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...ah. Yes. Of course.

[Judging by his tone, it's not exactly an "Of course" situation at all, but. Um. Right.]

Yeah.

[He probably shouldn't be getting defensive in response to that, um.]

Well, you can hardly fault me for wondering, can you? Given that you developed this attraction in the first place and seemed interested in pursuing it, I've no idea what you expected me to think?

Well it's the first time it's happened! I wasn't expecting this. Why do you think it took me so long to figure it out, or why I was going to ask Hughes in the first place?

[...so long... You know what, just ignore that part okay.]

"So long"...?

[Kimblee actually doesn't freeze at that; he's suspected it for a while, since they discussed this the first time. He hasn't said anything directly about it; at the same time, if it's bothering Isaac like this - which it seems to be, as this isn't the first time it's come up when Isaac was particularly flustered - then perhaps it's best to just confront it. After all, what Kimblee is suspecting is literally the only logical conclusion; Isaac's wording has been indicating that it's been longer than the few weeks they've been in Johto together, and the last time they spoke in Amestris was definitely not enough to encourage any sort of affection, much less inspire it.

As such, when he speaks, it isn't exactly a question.]

...it's been years, hasn't it.

[Kimblee's smart enough to pick up on that. Of course he knows that, so maybe he wanted to discuss it--]

[OKAY NO NEVER MIND, he's freezing up badly and can't even find words to express just how horrible this topic of conversation is.]

I--!

[Isaac folds his arms and glances at the... river-thing. He'd prefer to avoid the issue, but that won't get them anywhere. Kimblee wants to know and hell, now that they're actually dating, doesn't he deserve to know? Isaac's not one to keep secrets from the person he's in a relationship with. Relationships are built on trust, right? Trust is still something he's not very comfortable with.]

...Yeah. It's been... several years.

[He falls silent after that. He hadn't realized it until he showed up here, but that doesn't make it any less true.]

[Trust is something neither of them are terribly comfortable with, really. Kimblee has Archer, of course, but that's a matter of loyalty, which is something else entirely. Really, loyalty and trust have never been things that Kimblee really associates with relationships at all; as far as he's concerned, relationships are based on a cycle of using one another - for sex, or money, or possibly companionship if one was particularly prone to loneliness - and it's just a matter of time, really, until it turns parasitic and one party decides it isn't worth it anymore.

This is why Isaac confuses him, with his claims that he wants nothing - Kimblee doesn't doubt that he believes that in some way, but he also doesn't doubt that Isaac simply hasn't realized what it is he's trying to get out of this. There must be something; he just hasn't seen it yet.

But for now, he pushes that aside - he closes some of the distance between them, and his touch is gentle when he reaches out, his hand resting lightly on Isaac's arm.]

I see...it's fine, you know.

[He's smiling a bit when he says it, the expression as gentle as his touch, and there's a quiet lightness to his tone - he's capable of acting convincingly sympathetic when he wants to, and honestly, if he doesn't this is just going to dissolve into that hideous awkwardness again.

Not that he doesn't expect this to likewise be awkward, but at the very least it'll hopefully be awkward in a different direction.]

[Thankfully he's not a mind reader, nor is he very good at picking up on social cues. Kimblee's acting is flawless as far as Isaac is concerned - and he assumes it's genuine. He doesn't know Kimblee nearly as well as he thinks he does.]

[The touch on his arm is unexpected, but Isaac doesn't pull away. He stares at Kimblee's hand for a moment; he's a bit confused by the sudden sympathy. It's nice, but he's not sure what to do with it. So he doesn't do anything.]

Y-yeah? Well. Thanks. I guess.

[That will get Isaac to look away though. ...He also might be blushing. Just a little bit. It's totally not noticeable or anything.]

[Yeah, okay, he's bright red. So what?]

[Oh, that just gets a light laugh out of him; it's not cruel, just teasing, and he doesn't pull his hand away.]

You're still so shy, Isaac! It's almost endearing.

I--!

[ALKEMRKNL HOW DID YOU FIND THE TSUN.]

[Seriously, he never tsuns. What is this feeling.]

No it isn't. Knock it off.

[That...well, kittyfacing still hasn't left, but he does pull his hand away, okay.]

If you insist.

[H-hey, that's...! Not what he wanted at all, huh. This tsuning thing doesn't work at all. Why would anyone bother with it?]

[Though that just leaves the issue of "what do" now. Seriously, what does he do with this? Other than herp really hard. Because he's doing a lot of that.]

[The kittyfacing implies that Kimblee's at least not bothered by it, but... He's still not overly comfortable initiating anything.]

[So he'll just awkward around the issue for a bit by unfolding his arms, shifting from one foot to the other a few times, and finally reaching out (very hesitantly, of course) to brush his hand against Kimblee's.]

I'm not that bothered by it, alright?

[Kimblee's gaze shoots down to Isaac's hand when he reaches out, though he isn't exactly startled by it; just seeing what he's doing, really. Isaac never initiates contact; the fact that he's attempting is...well, mildly confusing, if he's going to be honest, but not unwelcome.

Kimblee has his gloves on, as he always does in Johto; he can still feel the contact through the fabric, however, and he responds to it easily, turning his hand a bit to grip Isaac's lightly with his own. Again, it's something he does because he suspects he's expected to do it, but the motion is fluid and the contact is...pleasant to him, despite the indirectness of it.]

That's good to hear, then.

[Isaac relaxes once that grip is returned - but that really isn't helping with the blushing any. Not that he's aware of that. He's never sure what his expression is doing anyway.]

Yeah...?

[It's not really a question though, and he's content to grip Kimblee's hand tightly. He might be smiling stupidly now, he's not entirely sure. Either way, it's nice. Simple contact like this isn't something he does very often.]

[Kimblee doesn't shy away from the eye contact, but his expression does falter a bit; it isn't that he's displeased - just very, very uncertain. Isaac is being incredibly open with him, and Kimblee is admittedly not sure what to do with that.

It's been a while since he's attempted anything resembling a relationship, but even so, he's never known what to do when people look at him like that.]

Of course, Isaac. Why wouldn't it be?

[Never mind the fact that he's clearly just trying and failing to look casual through the sheer force of his (unsure); he isn't sure what to do with his expression and it's obvious.]

[Isaac isn't sure what to make of that expression. Normally he'd worry that he'd screwed up somehow - but Kimblee is very blunt. Kimblee will let him know if he fucks this up.]

[...Needless to say, he's very relieved about that. He can relax more knowing that.]

Ah, I was just... confirming it, I guess.

[He shrugs slightly, earning a squeak from the Surskit on his shoulder. Oh yeah, he should probably return that thing. Once he's done that he relaxes again, deciding that a topic change would probably be a good idea.]

Thanks. For... all this.

[...MAYBE NOT, there goes the eye contact.]

[The squeak from the Surskit draws Kimblee's gaze upward; there's not really anywhere to look but Isaac's face once it's recalled, and he's mildly relieved that Isaac isn't staring him down at the moment.]

Really, you don't have to keep thanking me - you know that I don't take on charity cases for any reason. I'm here because I choose to be.

[His grip tightens against Isaac's hand momentarily, as though to emphasize the point.]

[He normally doesn't have any issues maintaining eye contact - usually to the point of accidentally staring down whoever he's talking to. Isaac can't keep Kimblee's eye contact, and glances away almost immediately.]

...Yeah, I know. Still, it... really means a lot to me.

[And cue that rather horrifying expression! Words can't quite express just how pleased he is with all of this. He squeezes Kimblee's hand back momentarily before shifting to lace his fingers with the other alchemist's. He's not sure what to do with the fact that he simultaneously tense and relaxed around Kimblee now. It's an entirely new feeling - he was always just anxious around his girlfriends back home. Things are different with Kimblee; he's perfectly fine with that.]

[Kimblee allows Isaac to intertwine their fingers with no resistance; it feels a bit strange through the gloves, but he doesn't feel inclined to take them off, either. That normally would have been the first thing he moved to do back in Amestris; he isn't sure what to think of the fact that by now he's so used to having no direct contact with others that taking the gloves off is no more than a vague afterthought.

It bothers him a bit; he lets it go for now. And look, he doesn't even freeze up at the sight of that rather horrifying expression!]

Well! Consider me flattered, then.

[You're improving-- Oh dammit, not the kittyface! Isaac is 4x weak to the kittyface, asshole!]

Yeah? Well. You're welcome, I guess?

[No really, what does he do with this? It is a compliment, Isaac can acknowledge that. And he certainly meant it; of course Kimblee would take it as such. It's just... awkward. Everything about this is awkward. But it's a good sort of awkward. It's not something he can explain. He's fine with the awkward.]

[Spending time with Kimblee is something he really enjoys. He's still not sure that this isn't some ridiculously long dream. There's no way Kimblee would have agreed to this, right? What could he possibly be getting out of this? It's not something Isaac wants to think much about though. It doesn't matter. Kimblee has his own reasons, and he's not going to press for them.]

[He's just going to be stupidly pleased and staring at their hands, if you don't mind.]

[...Isaac, you are possibly the one person in Johto that doesn't find that expression to be absolutely terrifying.]

Of course.

[He remains silent for a moment, shifting his gaze out over the water while he thinks; Isaac really does seem content, though he can't exactly say that he knows why.]

Tell me what you're thinking?

I... was just thinking about how nice all this is. I mean you... understand me better than anyone else. I'm not as worried about screwing this up as I was about... all my other relationships.

[..."as worried" being the key part here. Because let's face it, if something causes you to leave, it'll be Isaac's fault.]

[That's not exactly a lie, anyway. He doesn't want to get into the discussion of just why Kimblee agreed to this. He's fairly sure he'd rather not know.]

"Better than anyone else"...?

[Kimblee tips his head a bit at that; he isn't so much bothered by the "as worried" as he is by that.]

All things considered, Isaac, we really haven't known each other very long.

[There are so many other things he could point out here, the primary one being that Isaac really doesn't know Kimblee as well as he thinks he does; the...ah, impromptu visitation session in Central Prison had proven that much. He refrains for now, but...]

[Isaac tilts his head a bit in thought. Well, okay, yes, there might have been a few people who knew him better back home.]

I guess I mean you understand me better.

[There's a slight pause, and when Isaac continues, he's quieter and more subdued.]

I have a hard time picking up on social cues most people get pretty easily. Everyone I've dealt with back home got irritated with me after awhile. You haven't.

[...Yet.]

...ah. I see what you're saying now, yes.

[He doesn't seem to be passing judgement either way with that, however; it's just a statement, nothing more.]

As I said before, Isaac - you and I are different from most when it comes to how we perceive the world. Surely you've heard me ask others in the past to clarify things that they clearly thought should be obvious?

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