dumbshow | whale post

[Corvo, taking in his own work and thought perhaps... he could have put more effort into it. But he'd been busy, and it seems the Outsider enjoys it. No matter how last minute. That's more than enough for him.

But... oh. Well, this was going to be interesting.] There's a reason we needed Callista to teach Emily... [Once she got big, standing on his toes was apparently "not acceptable" for father daughter dances. Anyway, he stepped away from the Outsider's side to stand before him. He moved to rest one hand at his waist and thread their fingers with the other. Just assuming how this is going to go.]

Put your hand on my shoulder.

[Oh, so this is how it's going to go. Next time, Corvo has to do the lady steps, it's only fair. The Outsider still obliges, putting his hand on Corvo's shoulder and drumming his fingers there expectantly. Hey.]

Should I look forward to you critiquing my footwork?

Only if you step on my feet. So... very likely. [Corvo smirked down at him, squeezing with the hand at his side. No, he wouldn't... but also, he should probably start moving before the Outsider fidgets.

So he takes the first step back as the piano the Outsider could have sat on was put into use. See how nice it sounds when you aren't using it as a seat??]

[Rude... The Outsider is fidgeting anyway, but it's only to press himself closer to Corvo. He couldn't care less about the proper way to dance right now, actually, when he'd rather just be here with Corvo. It's sappy, he's the most embarrassing god ever, that's fine. Corvo started it, throwing purple blankets around just to be cute.

Even if it's lame. He can follow Corvo's lead, for once.]

You'll tempt me to do it on purpose. Be careful.

Tempting a god... Is there anything Corvo Attano can't do? [Corvo hums, falling into a rhythm with a just a few steps. Forward, back, sometimes a turn... YEAH, he's got this. Somewhat.] You're far too ancient to act like my daughter.

[Who brings up their daughter while romancing a god? Who does that? He's keeping up with Corvo's super informal dance, amused.]

You're far too young to tell me what I can and cannot do. There; if you wanted to start a list of what Corvo Attano can't do, that's one.

[Corvo does!! A daddy does.

For now, he laughs. It's the first genuine one of the night.] Give it time. You certainly listen when I request, so it can't be too far off from that. [Next on the list: get him to sit in a chair properly.]

[Stop daddy kinking him immediately. And he will never sit in a chair properly, Corvo can't make him.]

Such confidence. But I am cautioning you not to get your hopes up—I'm sure you've heard plenty of stories about how fickle and elusive the Outsider is.

I don't need to hear the stories to know how the Outsider is. [He's gotten much better at meeting the Outsider's eyes... at least more than he was last night.

He even winks.] He's only elusive until a certain marked so much as wants to chat. Or touch his hand.

[Stop daddy winking him immediately!!]

Not even you can get away with anything, Corvo. [You are toeing the line, mister.] And what of you? Fleeing the Duke's grand party to spin in circles on a rooftop? All because you wanted to see me.

Would you prefer I not want to see you? [He rose a skeptical brow, but of course it was an empty threat. He was too fond of their past two encounters, with the way the Outsider's fingers felt through his hair and how his hand felt in his.]

You might play your games, but you're the only person I'd spend the evening with. Unless you want me to go off with Lady what's her name...

Quite the contrary, Corvo. All I'm trying to do is call you a hypocrite.

[Love him, thanks. He slips his hand from Corvo's shoulder to the back of his neck to encourage him to lean down a little, here. Give shorty a break from staring up all the time and also let him get his kiss on.] Perhaps it isn't that I've failed to elude you, but that you've made yourself so very compelling.

[Now kiss him.]

[How hypocritical of him to call him a hypocrite ... Corvo held his tongue, leaning down to kiss the up his jaw to the corner of his lips. Then, hey, on the lips. Gotta stay compelling.

He stills, dragging his hand up from the Outsider's side to grip the front of his jacket. Don't go anywhere.]

[Don't call him out, just enjoy this. The Outsider is very much compelled by his kisses, though, so good job with that. If he weren't so invested in kissing Corvo, he'd say something about how Corvo really doesn't need to keep literally holding onto him to keep him around—but at the same time, that's the kind of desperate he finds interesting, so... feel free...

But now that their dance is put on hold, he slides his fingers up into Corvo's hair and pulls himself even more against his chest. Hey.]

[Corvo certainly won't make any complaints. In fact, he'll even make a low noise of approval. He pulls his other hand free from the Outsider's to rest it against the small of his back, ensuring they keep that closeness even as he pulls away to breathe.

He doesn't have a smart comment this time, though, idly leaning his head before going back for another. He'll enjoy the moment in silence, the music echoing as it faded off into the next song.]

[The Outsider can't complain about this turn of events either; sure, they danced for a whopping five minutes, but who really needs dancing... Once his hand is let go of he moves it to the back of Corvo's neck, appreciating how close he is.

If Corvo notices a slight difference in neck strain, it might be because the Outsider maybe is floating again. Don't call him out. A few bars into the next song he pauses to murmur against Corvo's lips,] Do you still want to dance?

[Or maybe... just an idea... get sort of comfortable on the purple curtains. Just a thought.]

[Corvo doesn't call him out at all, aside from the curve of his lips and the straightening of his back. He'll use this to his advantage, thank you very much.]

I'd much rather keep doing this. [It'd been much more ideal until they'd gotten back to kissing... it was just too nice. He leans in for another before walking backwards towards his makeshift shrine. He even had the nice pillows from downstairs, so it wasn't uncomfortable to lay on.]

[Ah, he doesn't even have to come out and say it and Corvo knows just the right moment to drop him into some nice pillows.

Don't actually drop him, he'll just hover there, but the sentiment is the same: nice.]

It would have been faster to meet you up here to begin with. I could feel the Overseers in attendance sweating without even knowing why, and while amusing, it wasn't what I came here for.

Didn't have much time to think about it... [Corvo mumbles against his lips, before doing just that. It isn't so much as dropping as dragging him down with Corvo, knowing he'd just remain in the air. What a convenient boyfriend.

His hands aren't off him long, adjusting all that purple fabric so it would be comfortable sitting back on. The lamps were dim in comparison to any below, but it would be more than enough to illuminate their faces and figures as the night became darker. He doesn't care much for brightening them beyond that, instead running his fingers back up the jacket to resume their position at his sides.]

We're here now. That's more than either of us were prepared for yesterday.

[Well he'll helpfully hover until Corvo is ready with the fabric, and then he'll get nice and settled. It's funny that Corvo considers some lanterns and fabric more prepared, but he hasn't stopped being flattered by the clumsy effort, either... whatever. He focuses instead on Corvo, his hands on his sides, his face in the dimming evening light—much more interesting.]

Would you believe, Corvo, that for the first time in centuries, I've been thrown into something I could never have expected? Not this, exactly- [lots of weirdos want to bang him, as it turns out] -but something much simpler, and yet... new.

[He has to shut up and cup Corvo's face with both his hands, before he says this dumb gay thing. 4,000 years old and simple emotions are still a goddamn mystery, this is his life now—] I missed you today.

[Honestly it was kind of inconvenient. Feelings??]

[Corvo braced for some speech of being the Outsider, dragged along mundane human outings just because he found him interesting. That was normal for them before, and perhaps it would continue this way. He could deal with that. He was wracking his brain for something to say when the time came, because he wouldn't allow another one-sided conversation.

A simple "I missed you today" rendered him speechless. He stared over at the Outsider with wide eyes, realizing it was as simple as that. Something vaguely insulting and creepy would have been normal, but this? It's another reminder that what he's getting into was new waters, and he has to learn how to swim again lest he drown.

He averted his gaze down to mule this over, wordlessly leaning into the Outsider's touch.] I guess it doesn't help when I tell you I missed you too.

[Hmm... Once again, the Outsider isn't complaining. He has plenty of speeches about mundane human things and how quaint they are, sure, but right now he'll give up the attitude, just a little. His hands stay gently against Corvo's face, one thumb smoothing over his cheekbone just to see. Each little way Corvo reacts to his touch and his words - he can know anything, but he wants to see this for himself.]

I had a feeling you might. It seems as though I've surprised myself, this time.

[Corvo wanted nothing more than to get lost in the Outsider's hold, and to drift off without a worry for what comes next. But he had felt this way before, he'd lain in someone's arms only for them to go cold. It anchored him to reality, and reality was too hard to ignore.]

You don't have to do this. [He frowned, leaning back to get a better view of his expression.] It doesn't hurt now, but it will. [He wasn't young anymore.] It stays with you, no matter how hard you try to forget.

[—Oh. This wasn't what he'd expected, all things considered. Knowing Corvo the way that he does, the Outsider knows that this—whatever it is would have come up eventually. Reassurance? Giving him a way out, should he want to take it now? It's sweet of him, but the Outsider wouldn't wait for Corvo's permission if he wanted to leave.]

Corvo. [He smooths his hand over Corvo's cheek again, for the simple feeling of it and for how he sure is about to say more of that weird Outsider stuff.] You have heard my history sung in the streets. You know the depths of darkness, and the beauty of the light. Both of us have felt loss and both of us have accepted that the world continues to turn. A week from now, a year, a decade—in a hundred decades perhaps this very rooftop will be here still, perhaps it will be nothing but dust. Everything and nothing in life is certain, Corvo.

[Which might be an odd thing for a god who knows everything to say, but it's true. Corvo may not be young, but he himself is by no means immortal. He wonders if Corvo has really absorbed that, or realized it at all; perhaps the Outsider will be the one who won't exist tomorrow. He doesn't know.

He doesn't know. But.]

I believe I told you not to tell me what to do. Know this: the choices we make are our own, and you are mine.

[Corvo could argue with how insensitive he was during his time of loss that the Outsider didn't know the particular heartache. He could argue that with the years he had left, it wouldn't be worth it, and boring. That he couldn't play games this time. He once felt more strongly on all of these things.

But he was just beginning to realize that the Outsider was not always the performance he put on for his marked, and how much holding his interest meant. He may not have much longer in this world, and he may not consider that the same could be for him, but he was right. They were both adults, one centuries older than the other. He shouldn't question it. Perhaps this one thing won't have consequences.

Instead he'll take a deep breath, tilting his head back to meet him eye for eye.] Alright. [He paused, then mustered up a faint smile.] I certainly am yours, aren't I?

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