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It was a cool Summer's evening in the Thieves’ den, the soft bite of Fall's crisp temperatures sinking into the Summer air. A seemingly average September day, if it wasn't for the fact that a specific someone's spawnday was today—for a particularly feathery Inphernal at that.
Katana's spawndays often went without much disturbance—minus Shuriken of course—but other than the occasional gift or visit from Slingshot and or Vinestaff, his spawndays would remain relatively.. uneventful.. Especially how Katana often found himself now always predicting that those 3 would be the ones to bring attention to his spawnday in some way.
Though this never seemed to bother the stoic Inphernal as routine and solitude was something he was accustomed to.
If anything, he was glad that there were no sudden changes to catch him off guard.
He was cleaning up his apartment after a green, hyperactive chatterbox—oh so graciously decided to pay him a.. “surprise visit” earlier and disrupt the flawless placement of his albeit, sparce decorations.
While he was in the middle of placing a vase back on top of his low table, he heard a firm but certainly not harsh—knock on his door.
This quickly piqued the samurai’s interest, ‘Who would be visiting me at such an hour?’ He wondered as the 3 weren't the type to visit him twice in the same day.
He brushed the palms of his hands over his haori-jacket, smoothing it out a little while he quietly walked over to the door.
He reached out, feeling the cold metal of the doorknob sink into his warm palm as he turned it carefully, curious and a little on guard to who might be on the other side of his door. When he opened it, he was greeted to a familiar face—well.. helmet in this case.
“Hyperlaser.”
“Hyperlaser?”
He repeated in his mind with growing curiosity as his feathers lifted a little, obviously not expecting a visit from the mercenary like usual due to their relatively stoic and solitude-preferring lifestyles. Though, it was probably more likely why Hyper never visited on his spawnday because Katana never really told anyone his spawnday; he wasn't even sure how the 3 found out about it if he was being honest.
But he knew his keen eye wasn't deceiving him with who was standing in front of him. Just then, Hyperlaser's calm voice broke the silence as he showed the small red box he was holding just before Katana could question why he was here.
“I've heard some murmurs that today was one of importance, so I brought something I hope you'll appreciate. Hope my visit isn't too much of an intrusion.”
Katana's posture softened by a fraction, it was a little late but he conceded and allowed Hyperlaser inside with a small gesture. He had to admit he found himself holding a bit of interest in what this mercenary presumed he liked. However, what he wouldn't admit is that he had a bit of a soft spot for Hyper too.
Unfortunately, prying that tender information directly from the closed off Inphernal's mouth when he was sober and fully awake was about as possible as Sisyphus’s task given to him for his punishment.
They sat down at Katana's low table, facing each other on either side as they got comfortable. Once they did, Hyperlaser would hand over the small box to Katana. Just when his hands brushed over Hyperlaser's it sent a little thrill through the mercenary's nervous system. And he soon found himself unexpectedly wanting to experience that sensation again.
As Katana held it, Hyperlaser was watching quite intently behind his visor—waiting for him to open it.
Katana’s hands would carefully open the red box; pulling off the lid which would reveal a clearly handmade wooden bracelet. The string that held it together felt like some form of faintly stretchy—leathery material that was on the thicker side and was dyed a deep red color while the wooden beads had small but intricate little carvings on each one.
After spending a brief moment just admiring the craftsmanship that Hyperlaser put into this, he put it on. He found himself feeling a little glow of fondness bubble up inside his chest when he felt it press against his feathers and skin; he always had a weakness for simple, handmade gifts. It being a gift from Hyper made it even more special to him.
“This jewelry is profoundly intricate, Hyperlaser. You must have somehow acquired knowledge about my affinity for handmade things, I assume?”
Katana remarked while he held up his wrist to closely examine it a little more. He wanted to take in every ounce of detail and work Hyper had put into this before shifting his gaze onto the mercenary.
“Yes. When you see something you like, you tend to exhibit little behaviors that reveal more about your feelings than you think.”
This statement from the mercenary made the samurai pause; his feathers shifting a degree as a vague warmth pricked at his cheeks. He knew Hyperlaser was perceptive—he had to be considering his job—but Katana never expected him to pay that much attention to his reactions. But, he was flattered that Hyperlaser went out of his way to get him a gift. He definitely would make sure to take care of it well; he couldn’t risk such an exquisite gift being harmed.
“I must admit, I had never noticed. Nonetheless, I appreciate this gift greatly, Hyperlaser. It is beautiful.”
When a comfortable silence fell between them, Hyperlaser noticed how he felt his heart rate spike a fraction and how a comforting and warm feeling would roll over him every time he heard his name fall calmly from Katana’s mouth.
Just like Katana’s touch, he yearned for more of it.
He yearned for Katana in his entirety.
His touch, his voice, his scent.. He needed to experience all of it and not just in fleeting moments..
Gods, if only Katana was calling him beautiful instead-
He flinched and quickly shook himself from his thoughts before he became too distracted and risked Katana noticing—his gaze quickly locking back onto the bracelet.
Which fortunately looked to be a little loose.
A perfect distraction and excuse for the mercenary.
“Katana, may you extend your arm for me?”
Hyper inquired carefully, his voice revealing nothing about how he was feeling.
Katana hesitated for a moment, wondering what reason was behind such a request. Regardless, he trusted Hyperlaser enough; he knew he most likely wouldn’t pull anything so he would comply.
This led to Hyperlaser pressing areas of his gloved hands onto Katana’s wrist and hand which hovered an inch or two above the low table. On the bracelet, the material that tied it together had both ends protruding out where it tied in which Hyper would gently pull on them—tightening the bracelet until it was snug.
As Hyperlaser did this, Katana caught on to how Hyper was deliberately brushing his palms and fingers against his skin whenever he could. Though, he wouldn’t point it out as he watched Hyper’s hand descend to rest on the table between them once he was done.
On the contrary, he found himself not hating the contact like how he would with most other Inphernals.
He couldn’t put his finger on what exactly he was feeling, but he found himself desiring more of it.
Although one thing he knew for certain.
Which was just who was invoking such an enjoyable response within him.
“Accompany me for some tea this evening, will you Hyperlaser? Consider this..” he paused, mulling over his words. “..A small spawnday request from me.”
He placed his hand over the back of Hyperlaser’s as he spoke. Such a simple touch sent an intense yet pleasant chill down Hyperlaser’s spine. Additionally, it made him now acutely aware of the unwanted empty space around his and Katana’s bodies.
After a short period, the mercenary held in a breath before releasing a conceding sigh, his shoulders loosening a little. He was more than privy to spending more time with the samurai, especially on such a special day for him.
“I guess I do have the time to spare.” He answered—his gaze falling back onto the masked visage before him.
Many hours of speaking mixed with lengthy interludes of silence passed while the sounds of nighttime animals outside grew more and more abundant as this side of the Inpherno slowly plunged deeper into the night’s soothing yet frigid embrace.
Eventually, weariness claws its way into their muscles and bones, persuading them to migrate over to Katana’s inviting couch. As if it was like a little oasis; which unbeknownst to them right yet, brought them all the more closer.
Katana always exuded a lot of body heat—most likely due to his larger stature and thick, dark plumage all over him—which was impossible to miss now with them sitting side by side. His warmth was almost like a siren song to the sleepy mercenary, but just like in the tale, he had to resist it. He didn’t want to accidentally overstep Katana’s boundaries afterall; and last he knew, Katana didn’t care for physical touch from anyone.
But damn, he wasn’t afraid to admit that it was difficult to not lean against him.
All these new feelings Katana made him experience enticed him to explore them more or at least express how he felt.
And Hyperlaser was too sleepy to feel nervous anymore.
“Katana..” He muttered
“What is it?” Katana hummed.
“I think.. I have developed feelings for you. More than just friendly feelings. And I wonder, do you feel similar?”
This quiet, sleepy confession shocked Katana like a bucket of ice cold water being dumped onto him in the middle of winter. He could feel his cheeks tingle and his body warm up noticeably. He couldn't even respond for a moment, there were so many things he was feeling that he never felt before—he was so desperate to be able to describe them but just couldn’t. It was almost tortuous, his body becoming a little rigid and his heart rate spiking a tad.
This emotional whirlpool was barely concealed within his mind and behind his cold, apathetic, porcelain mask.
Never in his life has the stoic samurai ever been this frazzled.
He took a moment to steady himself a little. In with a deep breath.. And out with a slow exhale..
“I will confess.. I have grown a spot of affection for you as well, Hyperlaser. It has existed for a time now.”
Hyper paused, his mind coming to a screeching halt. Now, he was the one that felt like he had been splashed with cold water. He almost thought that he was just hearing things and that Katana didn't actually say that. But once it sunk in, he realized that what he heard—was true.
His head pivoted towards Katana slowly, “Really?” His tone was low as his voice held a disbelieving undertone.
The fact that Katana returned his feelings made Hyper feel.. delighted? for just a moment—he had felt better than he had ever felt before. It was strange. He didn’t expect to be this affected by just some words, nothing usually drew such strong feelings to surface within the mercenary, even for a few seconds.
He quickly followed up simply with a hint of delight to his voice;
“I'm glad we share the same feelings, Katana.”
Katana sighed quietly as he tried to mentally digest everything, neither knew how to navigate these new emotions efficiently—but the fact that they shared the same adoration was enough for now. They would figure this out along the way and help each other learn these unfamiliar feelings and understand them together.
Just like Hyper, Katana turned his gaze onto the mercenary, both of them now looking at each other after such a revelation was uncovered while they sat so closely together. A faint tension charging the air between them.
Following an urge, Katana reached over and draped his arm over the small of the mercenary's back, pulling Hyper against his side in order to let the mercenary lean up against him.
Both of them desired to savor and indulge in the warm contact they quietly yearned from each other for so long now.
Yet, despite the craving for touch and affection both Inphernals were still cautious and hesitant with initiating any; the unfamiliarity with such a thing making indulging even harder.
Trying to push past that, Katana brought his hand back around in order to be able to hold Hyperlaser's hand. His warm grasp was careful and a little hesitant before Hyperlaser would reciprocate—reassuring him. This confirmative action sent a warm and enjoyable buzz through both of the reserved Inphernal's minds and bodies.
Normally, as stated before—they both despised touch. But they just couldn't help but enjoy the sensation of each other for some reason. Neither understood why they were attracted to each other, nor why they weren't bothered by being physically close—but they didn't need to understand.
All they understood right now was that they wanted to be by each other's sides, for now and far into the future.
Katana admitted that he wasn't expecting to receive 2 surprises for his spawnday today, but he surely wasn't complaining.
This certainly wasn't going to be a spawnday he would forget. And he was content with that.