love at first sight

A date. Bran had heard and read those words hundreds upon hundreds of time before, yet for some reason, this time it felt different. From his understanding, a date was generally a time in which two persons spent time together usually in a romantic fashion. This idea, of course, kind of made his head spin, his heart speed up, and his face to heat up again. But his logical side quickly decided to butt in and reign in his emotions. No, no, no. Henri couldn't possibly mean it in a romantic way. He just wanted to spend some time together probably in a platonic fashion, nothing more and nothing less.

He felt his heart break a little at the thought.

The heartbreak was quickly ignored when Henri spoke again, making him smile to know that he hadn't done anything wrong and that Henri was pleased. Or at least, he looked please and that was good enough for Bran. He thoroughly enjoyed seeing that smile on his face; it warmed him. "Well, I'm glad to see you're pleased over it. I just wanted to make sure that I hadn't done anything that would make you doubt yourself in any way. I... wouldn't forgive myself if I had."

The moment the spaghetti was on the table, the magician couldn't help but stare at it. It was the most glorious-looking food he had ever seen (at that particular moment) and his stomach growled in agreement. Ah yes, he was starving, how could he have forgotten? Grabbing one of the forks, he stuck it in on the edge of the pasta close to him and twirled it in his hand. "As for the story, I figured that... we could perhaps meet up again. It was just something that I was thinking about and would like to do if you were up to it. But seeing as it's a date now, I'm glad to know that we'll definitely be meeting again. It makes me so... so happy."

Soon after, he took a bite of the spaghetti and smiled. "I don't think anyone could possibly bail out on someone like you, Henri. I know I wouldn't. So hopefully, you won't bail on me either."

henri desrosiers

"Oh, you don't need to clear your schedule. I know what it's like to be busy, so don't worry about that. It's... not that important and I'm sure you have other important things to attend to," Bran chirped, humming a bit after taking another bite of spaghetti. It's not that he didn't want to see Henri again so soon (since it was quite the opposite), but he certainly didn't want to cause any trouble if Henri had important things to do that he simply couldn't reschedule. "Not that I don't want to see you again; I'd be more happy than you could ever imagine. It's just... People get busy and things come up, so things could get unpredictable, right?"

The magician paused, blue eyes set on Henri's face to gauge his reaction just in case he said something wrong. "But when we do get the chance to meet again... Hmm, I think my house would be the best option if you just feel like listening to stories all day. We could even go on a walk around my neighborhood if you wanted since you like traveling and I like wandering. Though, it wouldn't be so much wandering for me since I know the place really well, but I'm sure you'd enjoy it if only a little. Perhaps even go eat somewhere if you so desired."

For a moment, he blushed from slight embarrassment over the fact that for the first time in his life, he was babbling. Talking had never been his strong suit at all, so the fact that he talked so freely with Henri was... Well, absolutely extraordinary.

Henri was extraordinary. Or at least to him anyways.

"I hope you're happy by the way... I never talk this much to anyone," he jested, giving the handsome man a small coy smile. "You should be proud of yourself. No one else has gotten me to talk so much. Maybe it's because... you're special."

henri desrosiers

Bran wondered if it was normal to blush so much in such a short amount of time because his face was heating up again. Just the thought of Henri wanting to spend time with him just... Well, it was making him almost too giddy and want to fidget from the nervous happiness he felt. It was an exhilarating feeling and he could only associate such a sensation with the handsome man in front of him. Oh, and don't even let him get started on the fact that Henri could potentially come over to his house more often than he originally thought. He had to calm down before he passed out from embarrassment. He had to stop acting like a silly person in love.

His eyes widened at the thought. 'In love?'

Thankfully, Henri provided a distraction in the form of a blush. Bran decided that he liked seeing the handsome man blush as much as he liked seeing him smile; it made the already attractive man even more attractive. But when he was called cute again by said handsome man, he couldn't help but pout again while trying to fight back the instinct to blush again. It should be illegal to blush so much. "You would be the only one to think I'm cute, Henri. And I don't babble. I just... talk far too much than I normally do because you have a special talent of making me want to talk. It's almost like magic really."

Ah yes, magic. The thing that generally bored him because it had become too ingrained in his life and had become more of a cage than anything. No, he wouldn't think about that. Henri was everything good in the world (at least to him) and he would not allow himself to associate something boring with someone so extraordinary.

"As for coming by..." he wondered out loud, putting a finger to his chin as he thought about his schedule. "Well, I wouldn't mind if you dropped by whenever you wished. I have a fairly flexible schedule and I normally get out early because I tend to finish my work for the day faster than my coworkers. I suppose not socializing with others at work helps in that sense. I get my work done faster." Bran paused, tilting his head a little to the side as he watched Henri. "But only if you were comfortable with that idea first. You're welcome to drop by whenever. I'd probably like that actually. But again, only if you want. If you're more partial to specific dates, then we could do that. I... Just want to make sure you're comfortable with that idea first so we can come to an agreement."

Secretly, Bran was hoping that Henri would decide to just show up unannounced whenever he felt like to his house, saving him from the boring that was his life in the Inner Heart. Maybe having him visit would liven up his life.

henri desrosiers

"The same way you do...?" Bran echoed quietly, a blush on his cheeks as he thought of the possibilities of what that could mean. Deep inside his heart, he prayed that it was a good thing. Henri seemed to like him enough, so he wanted to assume it was a good thing. He wanted them to be close, to be...

'Friends,' the logical side kicked in, making the magician want to frown just the slightest bit.

"Uh, I'm usually home by the early afternoon, so you can definitely be confident in the fact that I'll likely be home. My wandering usually happens in the evenings anyways, so if you get there before then, I'll be home. Waiting and probably reading as always." It was in that moment that he remembered phones were a thing for magicians (despite the fact that he typically didn't use one) and momentarily wished that Henri had one at his disposal. It was no matter though because speaking on a phone was nothing like speaking to one another face to face.

Henri had a handsome face.

Shaking his head side to side to rid himself of that train of thought, he twirled the fork into the spaghetti while he spoke. "I wouldn't have taken you for a magical person, but your charm surely is magical. I wonder if you even realize just how charming you are and what it does to people. There's been a few people in here who keep stealing glances at you. Though, I personally wouldn't blame them; you are very pleasing to look at."

Bran had muttered the last little bit before taking the fork of spaghetti and placing it to his mouth. To his surprise though, the pasta seemed to be entangled with the rest of the plate. Slowly, he began nibbling along the long strand of pasta, wondering when the end of it would come.

henri desrosiers

Bran was surprised that the single strand of pasta was as long as it was as there seemed to be no end in sight. No matter how much he nibbled along, it didn't did seem to finish. But he was a stubborn one and was planning on finishing it even if it was mysteriously tugging back at him. It was only when it was too late to go back that he realized both he and Henri had been eating the same strand, and now their lips were currently touching. For a moment, his mind went blank as he tried to process what just happened. He was shocked back to life when the handsome man was the first to pull away, red in the face and spewing apologies.

Was Henri always this adorable?

The magician stared at him for a moment, touching his own lips like it was the most interesting thing in the world at the moment. Bran had been kissed before, but to him, this had been the only one that mattered (and certainly the only one that had made his stomach flutter). He heard a giggling somewhere, his blue eyes looking for the exact source for it until he saw a woman smiling at them from one of the tables. She seemed to be gushing over what had just happened between he and Henri while her partner just gave him a thumbs up. That's when he realized just how embarrassing the entire situation was.

So much for all the stories of romance he had read. They never told him that it would be this awkward.

"Henri, don't worry about it. You have nothing to apologize for. You didn't do anything wrong," he hummed lowly, his face red as he stared down at his hands and did his damnedest to not openly stare at Henri. "Things happen and this was... Well, it's sort of funny if you think about it. And at least it wasn't my first kiss or anything be it accidental or not. If that had been the case, then perhaps I'd find a way to get back at you for stealing it."

Honestly, he was just trying to make it seem alright for himself. It's not like he didn't enjoy it. In fact, he'd like for it to happen again under different circumstances, but perhaps that was just wishful thinking. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he finally looked up and smiled the tiniest bit. He then noticed that there was a dab of sauce at the corner of Henri's mouth and without fully thinking about it, reached over the table and wiped it away with his thumb. "So like I said, there's no need to apologize. There was probably a reason for it or something. Sort like a... noodle of fate or something."

He probably sounded like an idiot, but given what had just happened, there was probably nothing embarrassing that could top that for now, right?

henri desrosiers

"Henri, you really don't need to make it up to me. Honestly, there's absolutely nothing to make up for. So, don't feel bad. You didn't do anything wrong," Bran encouraged, not liking the idea that Henri felt bad for something. It had been an (absolutely pleasant) accident, so it's not as if he had done anything on purpose. But he supposed if the handsome man wasn't going to take no for an answer, there wasn't much he could do to convince him otherwise, right? Besides, it meant that it provided a chance for them to spend more time to together and he didn't care if it was selfish.

While the idea of spending time together ran through his head, he still actively listened to Henri. Only, the moment after Henri spoke, Bran wished that he hadn't been listening at all from the wave of embarrassment that hit him. Destined to kiss? Goodness, just repeating it in his head made the fluttering in his stomach intensify and his face heat up so badly that he had to actually cover his cheeks with his hands to hide just how red in the face he was. Why in the world did he have to be so cute and charming and adorable and attractive at once? Why did the deities above have to tempt him so?

"Henri," Bran whispered his name, trying to find a way to calm down. "I'm going to faint or something if you keep talking like that. You're not allowed to be so adorable when you're already so ridiculously attractive. I'm only human... It's completely unfair." Alright, so he was whining, but could anyone blame him? He had never felt so tempted nor had he ever felt such an overwhelming desire to have someone, so why now? Why did it have to be Henri?

No, he had to think about this platonically. They were going to be friends, and only friends. Yes, friends. Friends, friends, friends.

henri desrosiers

If Henri did not shut up soon, Bran was going to have to find a way to shut him up because his heart could only take so much. He knew that Henri flirting with him was perhaps somehow his own fault (probably because of the constant complimenting), but again, his heart could only take so much and his face was going to be eternally red. He wasn't anywhere used to all this flirting. He had only witnessed it with others and in his books, of course. For him to personally experience it was... Well, it made him nervous and jittery and happy all at once.

Oh, he was in deep and he was going to have to try really hard to get out.

Leaning across the table, he placed his finger on Henri's lips in an attempt to shush him. Oh, but he realized he made a horrible mistake in doing so because his lips just felt so soft under hi- No, no, focus! "If you compliment me any more, I will end up as a pile of goo in my seat. Like I said, I'm only human and it's unfair for you in particular to compliment me. But since you feel the need to compliment me for every time I compliment you — even though I am simply telling you the truth and sharing my observations — that would mean I have to stop complimenting you. I don't particularly like the idea, but if it's going to keep my sanity and keep my heart from beating out of my chest, I suppose I'll have to make do."

Bran stared at Henri's lips for a moment, fighting against the urge to trace over his lips with his finger. Taking a deep breath, he pulled back and sat down slowly while staring at the plate before them. Goodness, just staring at the spaghetti now made him want to blush. But he was still hungry, so he went back to eating yet again while trying to avoid looking at the handsome man too much. Now he just felt awkward again just like when they had first met a little while ago.

Perhaps a question would help?

"Um... Do you... like animals?" Yes, a question would help to lighten things up again. Hopefully anyways.

henri desrosiers