Corazon 7: Together

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They’d talked for so long, Ezio started to wonder by the end if Caleb ever intended to let go. The answer was likely no, as he did eventually, but with some notable reluctance. In a way, it was nice to feel like someone wanted him around for once. In other ways, it would take some getting used to.

Morgyn used to want Ezio around. Maybe that wasn’t quite accurate. Ezio had stopped wanting Morgyn around, not the other way.

Caleb wasn’t Morgyn though, and he had a way of making Ezio feel like his presence was wanted without being overt about it. Morgyn never mastered that. Ezio could muse on the semantics of why not, but ultimately it didn’t terribly matter.

The sounds of Mayor Whiskers’ yowling like he was dying filled the apartment. Ezio stepped out of his room, turning the TV on, and then moving into the kitchen to make the cat breakfast. Mayor Whiskers seemed to figure out what he was doing very easily, and hopped onto the counter to watch, as was customary.

“…an alleyway in San Myshuno,” the newscaster was saying. Ezio reached into the fridge for what he needed to make Mayor’s food, glancing at the television. The same man Ezio had fed on the other night was on the screen. Though, the suspect sketch he gave the police didn’t look anything like Ezio. It never did.

“Police are investigating the apparent assault,” the news anchor said. “The man in question was admitted to the hospital for a light concussion and mild bruising. He was released earlier today.”

Ezio snorted softly, closing the refrigerator door. “Oops,” he said, under his breath, and then moved to the stove. He didn’t mean to injure him that bad. Of course, that guy had struggled a little. It was always a bit dangerous when they struggled. Normally they only managed to hit him, not themselves. Oh well.

Amid the sizzling and hissing of the stove, Ezio’s phone rang. Ezio glanced at it, sitting on the counter by the fridge, and then reached over and picked it up, answering.

“Ember,” he answered, wedging it between his jaw and his shoulder.

“Hey,” Caleb’s voice replied.

Ezio skipped a beat or two. “Uh, hi,” he said.

“Sorry, are you busy?” Caleb asked.

“What?” Ezio answered, and then the words sank in. “No. I mean, I’m cooking but, I probably won’t kill anyone.” Probably.

“I’d wonder why that’s only a probably, but maybe I’d best not know anything,” Caleb said.

Ezio snorted softly. He sounded amused more than anything, so Ezio didn’t worry about it too much. “Maybe,” he said.

“You kind of made the news this morning,” Caleb said.

“I saw,” Ezio answered. “Not sure about that police sketch. Could’ve been my neighbour.” It didn’t look anything like Raj either, but those semantics were someone else’s problem.

A puff of air hit the phone. “Yeah,” Caleb said. “Must not have been you, then.”

“Yeah, must not have,” Ezio answered.

“Sorry,” Caleb said, “I’m not really good at conversation anymore. I just wanted to hear your voice.”

Ezio paused for a moment, and then fluidly went back to what he was doing. “I see,” he said. “That’s nothing to apologise for silly. I’m not so great at conversation either.” Then again, he never was.

“I know this is probably kind of weird,” Caleb said, “but I had somewhere I wanted to go, just didn’t want to go alone. Maybe you’d be up for going with?”

Oh. Ezio paused again. This time, Mayor Whiskers swiped at his arm. He tried not to laugh. “Uh, isn’t Lupita still around?”

“Lilith now,” Caleb said, “but yeah. She’s usually too busy.”

Oh. But of course, that’s awfully convenient there, isn’t it? “Where to?”

“Restaurant up in the fashion district,” Caleb said. “I know you’re not really a big people person, but they’ve got some new dishes I want to try…”

Caleb sure was blanking his head a lot. Ezio snorted softly. Of course he was. Of course they did. Everything just clicked into place, didn’t it?

“Don’t worry,” Caleb said, “they sell Plasma Janes.”

Of course. “I wasn’t too worried,” Ezio answered. “Um. But sure, yeah. That sounds nice. I don’t have to dress up, do I?”

“Uh, well if you don’t want to,” Caleb said. “But it’s not a diner, if that’s what you’re asking.”

Of course it wasn’t. Ezio smiled, plating Mayor’s food and setting the plate down on the floor. Mayor Whiskers didn’t care what his food looked like, as long as it tasted the same.

“I’ll come,” Ezio said.

“Really?” Caleb asked, sounding excited. He coughed. “I mean, yeah, that’s cool then. Um, is Saturday okay?”

“Yeah,” Ezio answered. Caleb sounded weirdly nervous, but Ezio wasn’t quite sure why. “I’ll be off work by then.” And even if he wasn’t, he was the highest paid attorney in that firm. They could definitely afford him taking a random day off out of nowhere.

“Do you get weekends off normally?” Caleb asked.

“Yeah, unless some dumbass drives his truck into a bank or something,” Ezio answered.

“That’s awfully specific,” Caleb said. “Does that happen a lot?”

“Define a lot, really,” Ezio answered. “It probably only feels like that because I’ve lived forever and seen just about everything.”

Caleb snorted. “That sounds right,” he said. “Hey, if you’ve got a girlfriend or anything, I can bring a friend and we can do a double date.”

Ezio glanced at the phone. Was that what it was? Ahh. Ezio understood now. He smiled. Some things never changed, he guessed. Ezio was nervous around him too, so maybe they didn’t change for him either.

“There’s no girlfriend,” Ezio said. “Or boyfriend, or anything like that.” Ezio wasn’t so sure about rushing into dating this soon after they’d found each other again, so he’d probably try and keep things platonic for a while. But, there was no girlfriend or boyfriend for Caleb to contest with.

Besides, even if there was, maybe Caleb would win that one by default. Not that Ezio would say as much.

“Oh,” Caleb said. “…you haven’t been alone the entire time, have you?”

Ezio froze. Yes and no? Caleb wouldn’t like that answer, if he was anything like Celio. Ezio didn’t want to lie, either. “I’ve dated before,” he said instead. No one had stayed. But Ezio tended to push people away, too.

“I see,” Caleb said. “Definitely dress up. Now we’ll make it special.”

“It doesn’t have to-“

“It definitely does,” Caleb interrupted. “If we’re going to do this, let’s do it right.”

Ezio smirked. “Are you making this a date?”

“No!” Caleb answered. “…yes? Maybe. Let’s go with maybe. If you want to make it a date, okay. Or maybe it’ll be a date later instead of now.”

Was that even a thing? Ezio was going to roll with it. “I’ll see you Saturday then,” he said.

“Yeah,” Caleb said. “Saturday.”

~*~

“Way too tight,” Emilia said.

“So there is a such thing as too tight?” Ezio asked, but he turned around and moved back behind the room divider all the same. It was only a little strange, changing in the open air like this. It was only Emilia on the other side of the divider, and he didn’t care too much. There were some strange questions she could ask, but he’d worry about it if she ever did.

“Sometimes, yes,” Emilia answered. “Why?”

“Because the last time we did this,” he said, “you said there was no such thing as too tight.”

“Okay, the standards for too tight are different when we’re talking about a date versus a thesis presentation,” Emilia answered.

“Wait, let me get this straight,” Ezio said, leaning around the side of the divider. “Did you inadvertently have me essentially seduce the reviewers of my thesis?”

“I’m not saying I did,” Emilia said. “I’m just saying looking good probably didn’t hurt you.”

Ezio’s eyes squeezed shut, but he didn’t say anything, simply ducked back behind the divider. He was changing clothes, anyway.

Emilia helped him with every incident of needing to decide on what to wear. In this particular instance, Ezio felt like her priorities were backwards, but he wasn’t good at fashion. On the other hand, Cel-Caleb, had seen him in a lot worse than whatever he could scrounge out of his closet now.

It was strange, given he shouldn’t care so much, but he found he very much did.

Besides, Caleb said to wear something nice. Not in those exact words, no, but they’d been implied. Who else did he trust to dress him up than Emilia? She even worked with the whole goth thing.

“You’re nervous, aren’t you?” Emilia asked.

Ezio snorted. “No,” he said. And then he thought about it, and said, quieter, “A little.”

“You two were really close, right?” Emilia said. “It’s not hard to imagine you’ll be just as close now.”

“We’re very different people,” Ezio said.

“Maybe not as different as you think,” Emilia answered. “Some things change. But other things, in your heart, those things don’t. You’re more of the little boy from Mortain than you think you are.”

Ezio released a breath. Realistically, it wasn’t like he didn’t think he was. It was more that he didn’t want to be. Because life was unkind to the little boy from Mortain, and Ezio never wanted to feel that way again.

Celio was always the one he’d gotten his strength from. Maybe Caleb would be, too.

“I guess,” Ezio said.

“You guess,” Emilia repeated in a mocking tone. “Come on, have a little faith for once in your life.”

“That’s easier said than done,” Ezio said.

“Are you sure you’re goth and not emo?” Emilia asked.

Ezio didn’t say anything, simply stretched upward and glared at her over the divider.

“I’m just asking, valid question,” she said.

“I think in this instance, my dear,” Ezio said, “I’m not the emo one, you’re just way too damned happy.”

“Huh,” Emilia said. “Touché.”

Ezio didn’t say it, but he’d kill people to make sure she stayed that way. Even if it was the matriarch of the Charm line. “So, you and Darrel…?” he started.

“Oh you let that go,” Emilia said. “Right now this is about you, not me and my going nowheresville engagement.”

Ezio smiled. That meant she was still thinking about it, and she had at least realised that much. It was enough of a start to let it lie for now. “Fine,” he said. “But we’re talking later.”

“Sure, okay,” Emilia said.

Ezio shimmied the silvery satin dress over his head, and down his body. It wasn’t very tight, but it did bunch slightly at the right places. Not to over-flatter his figure, but not hide it, either. Maybe this one would work.

He was still smoothing it down when he came out from behind the divider. Emilia loosed a squawk.

“Yes!” she said, rushing over to help him smooth it down. “This one’s perfect.”

“Isn’t this backwards?” Ezio asked. “You’d think the really tight number would be for the date.”

Emilia clicked her teeth. “No,” she said, “what would you do without me? This is the first date, and it’s maybe not even entirely a date, right? We don’t want him making bad decisions on this date, but we do want him curious. So, not too tight, not too loose. This is perfect.”

This was one of those situations where Ezio would just have to trust her. It wasn’t as if he knew any better, that was why she was here for this anyway.

Ezio released a breath, idly fiddling with the fabric. He still wasn’t sure about this. Maybe he should’ve told Caleb he was too busy today. That would’ve been a lie, but it would’ve also given him some time to think about this more.

Truthfully, Ezio still wasn’t certain what he felt about all this.

Emilia frowned for a moment (she never frowned for very long), and leaned over, looking at him. “What’s wrong?”

Ezio huffed. “I don’t know,” he answered.

Emilia looked worried. “You’re nervous?” she asked.

“I think,” Ezio said. “Maybe.” Realistically, he’d been so detached from his own emotions for so long, it was difficult to imagine he wouldn’t be somewhat rusty at feeling them. That shouldn’t be something you could get rusty at.

Emilia smiled. “Why?” she asked. “Isn’t this everything you’ve ever wanted? Caleb back, going out with him, feeling a little nervous and elated…?”

Ezio snorted. “No,” he said. “Okay yes but… I don’t know, it’s hard to explain.”

“Try,” Emilia said.

“I don’t think you’ll understand,” Ezio answered.

Emilia snorted. “Oh silly,” she said. “The point of you explaining isn’t me understanding. It’s you putting it into words. It makes it easier to process.”

Right, she’d said that before. “Where would I be without you?” he asked, jokingly.

“Probably still halfway down the fast track to becoming an evil vampire,” Emilia said.

“I was not-” Ezio started to argue, and then he thought about it. “…halfway there. Maybe a quarter.” No, she was right. It was probably half.

“Uh-huh,” Emilia said.

“Anyway, I think I just feel overwhelmed,” Ezio said. “I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel about this or what to think. I was trying to accept he was gone last week!”

“Makes sense to me,” Emilia said. “But you know, If you’re not ready, I think Caleb would understand.”

Ezio wasn’t so sure about that. And it was rude to accept the invitation and then change his mind later.

Emilia smiled and took his hand. “Just give it a try,” she said. “If you decide diving right into dating was too much too quickly, just tell him that.”

“It’s not a date,” Ezio lamely argued.

“Of course,” Emilia said, raising an eyebrow and giving him a knowing look. “And I’m the queen of Wales.”

Yes, it was a date indeed, and pretending otherwise was likely silly.

~*~

He was early. Ezio knew he was early, because he’d left the house around an hour before Caleb had said to meet him at the restaurant (Ezio barely remembered what it was called-he glanced up at the sign-apparently this was Nine East). Ezio didn’t mind the very long wait. He’d rather be waiting around than have someone else waiting around on him.

Maybe that was a weird thing. Ezio didn’t claim to be lacking in traits that could be considered weird, that was for certain.

He wore the silvery dress Emilia had decided was perfect, as she’d said, and paced around outside the restaurant. The air was cool, but Ezio barely felt it anyway between being a vampire and having more pressing matters on his mind. The clicking of his heels was loud, almost too loud, in the quiet.

Ezio sensed him before he saw him, turning around and finding Caleb off to one side. He raised an arm, checking his watch, and the looking around, the red of his blazer shimmering in the street lights.

For a moment, Ezio hesitated, and then he moved over to stand in front of him. Caleb looked over at him, and seemed to forget how to breathe.

“Looking for someone?” Ezio asked.

Caleb was quiet for a long moment, and then shook his head. “Not anymore,” he answered. “You look… wow.”

“Wow?” Ezio asked. Was that a good wow or a bad one?

“Yeah, wow,” Caleb repeated, and the way he said it made Ezio realise it was a good wow. “You smell nice, too.”

He tried not to blush. “Thank you,” he said.

“Coconuts?” Caleb asked.

“And lime, yeah,” Ezio answered. “I uh, didn’t want to just go in without you.”

“You could’ve,” Caleb said. “I wouldn’t have minded. Though now I feel bad.”

“Why?” Ezio asked.

“If I knew you were going to dress up this much, I’d have put more effort into my own attire,” Caleb answered.

“You look fine,” Ezio said. Like, really fine.

“I can go change really quickly,” Caleb said, gesturing behind him.

“No, it’s fine,” Ezio said. “We’re just out to dinner as friends, nothing to get too excited about.”

“Oh,” Caleb said. He almost sounded disappointed.

“Or… not?” Ezio said, his tone making it a question.

“If that’s what you want,” Caleb said, “I’m okay with that. I don’t want to push you into anything Ezio I just…”

Ezio smiled, glancing down at the concrete under them. “I know,” he said. But… there was always a but. They shouldn’t be moving so fast, but then what was the harm in a date or a few?

Ezio looked back up at him, still smiling, and rested a hand against his cheek. “You’re my best friend,” he said. “You still are. If we change that, I don’t know if either of us can go back to being just friends.”

Caleb frowned, and then reached up to take Ezio’s hand in his. “Would you want to?” he asked. “Go back to being just friends, I mean.”

Ezio shook his head. “I don’t know what I’ll want later,” he said. “I don’t know what you’ll want. I told you I’m not a nice person. And someday you may decide that my being nice to you isn’t enough anymore. Or maybe we’ll find we’re only attracted to each other because of nostalgia, not because our feelings lasted that long. I don’t know, but I don’t want you to regret it.”

For a moment, Ezio wasn’t sure if he’d said what he meant to say, the right way, without hurting him. But after a moment of deliberation, understanding dawned in his eyes instead, and Ezio relaxed slightly.

“I would never regret you,” Caleb said. “But I understand. Maybe it’s the romantic in me running away on its own. Ezio, I want you to understand now, no matter what happens I’m never leaving you alone again. You’re stuck with me.”

Ezio wanted to argue with that. How could he say that when they hadn’t meant to be separated in the first place? Circumstances had other plans, more often than anyone liked to admit, and there was no telling whether Caleb ever would leave again or not. But, Caleb dropped into a greeting bow, raising Ezio’s hand and kissing the back of it, like he’d always seen the guests at Jean’s balls and parties do, and everything Ezio had meant to say no longer mattered.

He’d always wanted to be greeted like that.

“But maybe, just tonight,” Caleb said, straightening back up, “we can pretend we were never apart at all.”

That sounded like a terrible idea. But something in the way Caleb said that, the way his eyes sparkled in the light, made Ezio not want to tell him no. …ugh, vampires had abilities that made others weak to their charms, Ezio knew that.

And even in knowing it was possible Caleb was using it, Ezio didn’t want to resist it anyway.

“Okay,” Ezio said. “But just tonight.” Like that was going to fly.

“Just tonight,” Caleb agreed, kissing Ezio’s hand again, and then resting it against his own. “Shall we then? There’s a reservation waiting for us.”

“So there is,” Ezio said. “I guess we should go.”

Caleb fell silent, smiling and leading Ezio into the restaurant. They stopped at the entrance to talk to the hostess, noting they had a reservation and what name it was under.

The hostess took them to their table. Ezio moved a chair out of place intending to sit down, but Caleb loosed an indignant squawk and rushed over behind him, scooting the chair in under him as he sat down.

“I would’ve gotten it!” Caleb protested.

Ezio snorted. “I can sit down on my own,” he said.

“Yes, but why bother when you’ve got a pretty boy to do your bidding?” Caleb asked.

Well, Ezio had never thought of it that way. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that revelation, thus he simply let that one go. Maybe that wasn’t how Ezio wanted to think about it, anyway, but having that conversation now wasn’t in the cards.

Instead, Ezio just looked exasperated, as Caleb scrambled around to the other side and sat down. The hostess set down their menus, and scurried back to her podium, and Ezio idly picked it up to look at it.

“You can eat food, right?” Caleb asked, glancing up at him.

Ezio nodded.

“Good,” Caleb said. “Lilith can’t anymore. It’s a tragedy.”

Ezio snorted. “Yeah, you always did love food,” he said.

Caleb looked up at him, like he’d said something weird.

“What?” Ezio asked.

“I always did love food,” Caleb repeated.

“Yes?” Ezio said.

“No I just don’t cook anymore, I’d mostly forgotten that I liked it,” Caleb said.

“You don’t?” Ezio asked, surprised. “That’s weird. I figured that’s what you were here for, right? Aside from going out with me somewhere, I thought it was to try the experimental dishes and learn to make them.”

Caleb looked like the sun had suddenly risen after a long night. Like the thought had never occurred to him in his entire life that cooking was something he was able to do.

“I could kiss you,” Caleb said.

Ezio had no idea what he’d just done, but he did know, their relationship was never going to back to normal, whatever that was.