Chapter Text
Ororon stood in front of the mirror in his bathroom, hands firmly planted on the counter as he stared at his reflection intensely. He was on a mission—one he was very determined to complete.
Mission: Become Presentable Enough For A Party.
Now, Ororon wasn’t one to attend parties often. If he were invited to one, there was a fifty percent chance of him actually showing up. Whether he attended a party or not depended on the people going and the cause for celebration. He wouldn’t turn down an invitation to a birthday party or wedding, and so on, but he’d turn down invitations to parties being held just for the sake of partying.
Those kinds of events weren’t really his thing, especially if his friends weren’t there. It’d be overly crowded and way too loud as a result, especially with his sensitive hearing. He’d much rather just stay home and take care of his precious vegetables or spend time with Capitano.
Capitano…
Just thinking of him made heat rise to Ororon’s cheeks. He rubbed his cheeks with the pads of his fingers in a futile attempt to get rid of the blush. God, he was a mess. Every time Capitano popped into his mind, it got his heart racing. He slapped his cheeks a couple of times before squishing his face between his palms. But this wasn’t the time to lose himself in thoughts of Capitano. He had to focus! Capitano was the entire reason for the mission to begin with!
The party tonight was to celebrate Natlan’s victory over the Abyss. It was being held and funded by the Pyro Archon, so it was bound to be grand, especially with how many people would be attending. More importantly, Capitano would be there, so he had to look his best or at least not as messy as he did on a regular basis.
Normally, Ororon wouldn’t care about such things. When he went to parties, he never dressed up (unless he was going to a wedding or a similar event) and wore his usual everyday outfit. This party was a big one, but still, the cause for celebration hadn’t prompted him to dress up. Capitano was the reason for his sudden interest because they had just started dating a couple of days ago. Honestly, it all still felt like a dream to him, but no matter how many times he pinched his cheeks, the pain was definitely real.
If he didn’t dress up for this party, it wouldn’t be a big deal. Would he look a bit out of place? Probably. He assumed everyone else would be dressed up, but it wouldn’t matter. He knew that even if he didn’t dress up tonight, Capitano would still think he looked great… which was a surprise to him.
When Ororon confessed a few days ago, he went into it expecting to be rejected so he could let go of the feelings he had, but the complete opposite had happened. His entire world turned on its head at the moment. He never thought Capitano would be attracted to someone like him, but he was. That made his heart flip in his chest. He felt all giddy inside.
Dressing up wasn’t necessary, but for once he wanted to look good. Capitano would be there, and he’d never seen him dressed up before. He wanted to put effort into his appearance tonight and surprise him. Maybe Capitano would compliment him too!
He slapped his cheeks before he could get lost in his thoughts again. Focus! He had to focus and get ready! He already showered, so now he had to take care of everything else, such as getting dressed and doing his hair. The party wasn’t for a couple of hours, but that didn’t mean he could spend all this time dilly-dallying. He knew himself, and he’d need every second he could get! He didn’t want to end up wasting all this time and being late to the party!
He quickly left the bathroom and went right to the closet in his bedroom, throwing open the door and staring at the selection of clothes within. All of the clothes were fairly similar in color and style. There were multiple pairs of dark-colored, intentionally ripped jeans; several dark-colored fitted shirts that lacked sleeves, along with jackets fitting that same criterion; and so on.
A frown took over Ororon’s face. He couldn’t wear any of that to the celebration. He shoved all of those clothes to the left side of his closet and began to search in the back. He was bound to have something there because the back was where he stored all the clothes he rarely wore out. Those clothes were gifted to him by other people. Most of them were given to him by his Granny, but a few clothing items had come from others.
The first thing his eyes landed on was a suit that had been given to him by his Granny. He wore that whenever he had a wedding to attend. It was definitely formal, but he felt like it’d be a bit much for this type of event. This wasn’t some super fancy celebration. It was definitely nice, but way more on the casual side, so the suit was out of the question… but perhaps he could use part of it.
He yanked the dress pants of the suit off of their hanger and slung them over his arm. The pants were his starting point. Now, he just needed a top to go along with it. He sifted through all of the shirts gifted to him by others, immediately ruling out any bright-colored tops except ones that were white. Black and white went together, so even though he’d take the white tops into consideration, there was a high chance he wouldn’t wear one. After all, he did prefer to wear dark colors. His eyes just naturally drifted towards them.
The selection of tops he had to choose from was now much smaller, and yet he wasn’t happy with what he was looking at. There was one big problem. All of the shirts had sleeves. Some had short sleeves, others had long sleeves, but still they were sleeves nonetheless, and he wasn’t a fan of it. He simply preferred to have his arms out, and even if he did end up wearing a shirt with sleeves, he tended to roll them up either on purpose or without realizing it. In his opinion, sleeves were pretty uncomfortable, so… all of those shirts were a no.
A huff escaped his lips as he shifted back to the clothes he typically wore, eyes flicking between shirts. He could make this work. He had to make this work. He chewed on his bottom lip absentmindedly as he went through each shirt slowly, pausing when he came to the eleventh one. This shirt could work. He pulled it off the hanger, staring at it silently. The shirt was black and form-fitting and was, unsurprisingly, lacking sleeves. However, the shirt was plain, unlike the majority of his other shirts, which had some kind of design or pattern on them. A plain black top was perfect. At least, it was perfect in his mind, but there was only one way to find out if that was really the case.
He shut the closet door and headed back into the bathroom, slipping out of his bathrobe and changing into the outfit he’d just picked out. The pants went on first, and then he carefully tugged on his top, making sure his wings went through their designated holes. Every one of his shirts had slits in the back so his wings could come through and spread if needed. He kept his wings folded down as close to his back as possible the majority of the time, but when he did need to spread his wings, it was nice not having them trapped beneath his top. Lastly, he tucked in the bottom of his shirt before taking a look in the mirror. Well, he didn’t immediately think he looked bad, which was a good start. In fact, he thought the outfit looked pretty nice. It wasn’t overly formal, but it wasn’t anything too casual either, which was exactly what he’d been going for.
The only negative was that he kind of thought he was dressed like a bartender. Bartender wasn’t what he was aiming for in the slightest, but despite partially looking like a bartender, the outfit was decent, so it’d have to do. Besides, he didn’t have it in him to go back into his closet and put together an outfit that didn’t make him appear bartender-esque. He wasn’t very traditionally fashionable to begin with, so the fact that he’d managed to put this together was a miracle. He wouldn’t be going through that whole song and dance again.
Now that his outfit was complete, he had to do something with his hair. At the very least, it needed a good brush to get rid of all the knots and tangles. Once that was finished, he could figure out how to style it. He tugged open one of his bathroom drawers and pulled out a brush along with a handheld mirror before settling down on the bed in his room. He began to tend to his hair right away, grabbing a small chunk and taking the brush to the end of it, methodically working his way from bottom to top.
Ororon knew he had plenty of time to put himself together, so he detangled his hair as slowly as he needed to in order to work out each little knot and tangle he came across. The process didn’t take as long as he imagined it would, but it definitely wasn’t something he’d ever add to his daily routine. He ran his fingers through his hair a few times to make extra sure he hadn’t missed a spot before splitting it into three sections and braiding it over his shoulder. He’d been considering different styles while he brushed through his hair, and a braid pulled over his shoulder was the first one he decided to try.
He secured the end of the braid with a rubber band, then took a look at himself in the mirror, holding it back as far as possible to get a feel for how it went with the outfit. He liked the braid… but that was by itself. It didn’t exactly go with his outfit though, so he had to try something else. He undid the braid, opting for a high ponytail instead. The ponytail looked much better to him, but it was missing something… His eyes flicked to his nightstand drawer. Something like an accessory.
He pulled open the drawer and began to rummage through the various hair accessories inside that went untouched for pretty much their entire time in his hands.
A hair clip? No. A headband? No. A hair stick? Still no. A ribbon. No. Wait—yes.
A ribbon could work, especially the one in his hand. It was the same color blue as his left eye. It’d give a nice pop of color without being too out of place. He tied the ribbon around the rubber band holding his ponytail in place, slowly shaping it into a bow. It came out wonky, which resulted in him redoing the bow several times until he was satisfied with the end result. He felt like he’d done a pretty good job in the end. He was proud of himself.
With that, he was all ready to go… or so he thought. When he took one last look in the mirror, he realized there was a problem. The dark circles under his eyes were absolutely horrific and very noticeable. The smile on his face slowly faded away as he traced the shape of them with the pad of a finger. What was he supposed to do about that? It wasn’t as if he had makeup to cover them with, and even if he did, he didn’t know how to do makeup. If he tried to cover them on his own, he’d end up making a mess of himself.
He glanced at the clock on the wall. He still had about two hours before the party started. Since makeup was out of the question, the least he could do was get a bit more sleep. Of course, a few more hours of sleep wouldn’t get rid of his dark circles, but he was hoping it would make them look less harsh for a few hours. He didn’t know, but it was worth a shot.
It wasn’t possible for him to simply lie down and fall asleep since he always had trouble with that, but he did have a little something to help in one of his dresser drawers. He quickly hurried over and dropped to his knees, opening up the last drawer. It was nearly empty with only one item inside. Capitano’s coat. He kept it by itself in order to preserve Capitano’s scent, which may be a little weird by normal people’s standards, but it was necessary for him.
Whenever Capitano spent the night at his place or vice versa, they slept in the same bed snuggled up together, and he fell asleep fairly quickly whenever they did. That, and he also woke up feeling more well rested than usual, but unfortunately, they couldn’t sleep on the same bed every night. To deal with his sleeping issue alone, he asked Capitano for one of his coats and wrapped himself in it at night. Using it wasn’t as effective as having Capitano in the bed right next to him, but it worked a lot better than sleeping without it.
He wrapped the coat around his body with a smile as he climbed into bed, propping his pillows up against the headboard. Since he’d just done his hair, he didn’t want to mess it up by lying down. Leaning against the headboard would have to do. It’d be comfortable enough, especially with Capitano’s coat around him. It was large on him, and he loved it. He could bundle himself up in the coat nicely and bury his face into the fur around the neckline. When he was wrapped in the coat, he felt cozy and safe.
Ororon leaned against the headboard of the bed and nuzzled his face into the fur, wrinkling his nose from the ticklish feeling. He slowly closed his eyes, and before he knew it, he’d drifted off into a peaceful sleep.
——————
A loud but familiar booming voice woke Ororon from his slumber.
“ORORON!” The voice shouted from outside his little house.
Ororon jerked awake in an instant, looking around groggily. That was a voice he knew very well—one he’d heard since he was a baby. It couldn’t be anyone else but his Granny.
“I know you’re in there! You’d better not be sleeping! What did I say about your sleep schedule?! You’ll never fix it if you keep taking naps in the middle of the day!” Citlali chided loudly.
“If we don’t get going soon, we’ll be late to the celebration, bro.” Another familiar voice cut in.
That had Ororon scrambling out of bed. “I’m coming! Coming!” He shrugged off Capitano’s coat, quickly folded it up, and safely stored it away in its designated drawer before rushing to the door. The only reason he’d gone to sleep was because he knew Ifa and Citlali would be walking with him. He assumed they’d show up early enough for them to make it to the celebration on time even if they walked leisurely. Apparently that wasn’t the case.
He burst through the door, leaning against the doorknob slightly. “I’m… hah… ready,” he breathed, pulling the door shut behind him as he made his way over to Ifa. As he looked between the two of them, he was relieved to see that they were dressed in attire similar to his. That meant he definitely wouldn’t be out of place once they got to the celebration.
“C’mon, let’s go! We don’t want to be…” Ororon trailed off at the end, shifting uncomfortably in place when he realized the two of them were just staring at him. Did he look weird after all?
Ifa threw his arm around Ororon’s shoulders and tugged him close, a wide grin on his face. “You dressed up today? You look good, bro!”
“Good, bro! Very good, bro!” Cacucu chimed in, floating around the pair.
Relief flooded Ororon’s body in an instant, his tensed shoulders slowly dropping. “Really? You don’t think I look like a bartender?” That was the main thing he was worried about now, so he had to ask.
A confused look passed over Ifa’s face, and seeing that was very reassuring. Maybe he’d been overthinking the whole time. He stood perfectly still as two sets of eyes ran up and down his body, patiently waiting for an answer.
Before Ifa could get his mouth all the way open to speak, Citlali beat him to the punch. She shooed Ifa away from Ororon and took his place at Ororon’s side, cupping his cheeks. “Bartender? Where’d you get that nonsense from?! You look nice! Come, let Granny take a picture of you! You two get together!” She ordered as she pulled out her Kamera.
While Ororon was glad his outfit wasn’t strange, they didn’t have time to take pictures. They had to hurry if they didn’t want to be late. “Granny, we can take pictures later. The celebration is going to start soon. We’ll be late at this rate.”
The moment Ororon saw Citlali’s eyes narrow, he knew he’d chosen the wrong dialogue option. He was going to get an earful, wasn’t he?
"Oh? You hardly dress up, and now you’re denying your Granny pictures?! I want a picture of you now before you get all jostled around at the celebration! All the other grannies have plenty of new pictures of their grandson to show off! You want me to have none to brag about?!” She chided, waving her finger at him disapprovingly.
Ororon’s ears drooped as he was scolded, lying flat against his head. If he had his hood at the moment, now would be the time to pull it over his head further, but sadly, a hood didn’t go with his outfit. “No, but Granny, if we don’t go now—"
“Ah, ah, don’t ‘but Granny’ me!” Citlali cut in, mimicking Ororon’s voice for a moment. “Would one—"
This time it was Ifa’s turn to cut in. "AHEM AHEM." He cleared his throat loudly, shooting Ororon a look. “A picture or two won’t make us late, bro.”
Now Ororon was confused. “But you told me we’d be late if we didn’t get going soon…” That was the reason he’d scrambled to get out of bed.
Ifa shrugged his shoulders, rubbing at the back of his neck awkwardly. “About that, I only said that to get you out of bed. My bad, bro.”
Cacucu bumped into Ororon’s cheek a couple of times. “My bad, bro! My bad!”
Ororon narrowed his eyes at Ifa and turned his attention to Cacucu. “Apology accepted, little guy.” He cooed, petting him for a moment before he flicked his attention back to Ifa. “Apology not accepted, bro. You’ll have to make it up to me.”
"Wha?! How come you accept his apology but not mine?!” Ifa huffed in exasperation.
"Because Cacucu—"
"Alright, alright! Enough bickering, you two! We’ll really be late if you keep going at it! Are you going to let this Granny have her picture or not?” Citlali asked, impatiently tapping her foot.
Ororon immediately dropped what he was saying and tugged Ifa closer for the picture. He hadn’t been set on finishing that sentence anyway. Ifa could figure out why his apology wasn’t accepted on his own. He was very set on not being late, partially because it was a party being held by the archon herself, but mainly because of Capitano. He wanted to get a seat next to him, and the best way to do that was to show up early or right when the celebration was starting.
It would’ve been better if Capitano had walked to the celebration with him, but that wasn’t possible. When they started dating a few days ago, he asked Capitano if they could keep it a secret for a short while until he figured out a way to break the news to his Granny because he knew she wouldn’t take it well. He planned to tell her at the end of this week, but until that was done he couldn’t be openly affectionate with Capitano despite having the desire to. He would’ve loved to walk to the celebration hand in hand with Capitano. Ah… next time.
He leaned into Ifa when he slung his arm around his shoulders and held up the peace sign, flashing a smile at the kamera for the photo. Citlali looked pleased with how the picture came out, so that was good.
Citlali safely tucked away the photo and the kamera. It was one to add to the album. “Now, we can go.” She linked her arm with Ororon’s and began to lead the way there.
——————
They arrived at the stadium much quicker than Ororon expected them to. That was probably because he spent the entire walk chatting with Ifa and his Granny. Time really did fly when you were having fun.
Now that they were at the stadium, he was eager to get inside. There were already so many people around even though they were at the stadium right on time. Plenty of people were already inside. He supposed most people showed up early rather than right on time. He chewed on the inside of his cheek. He should’ve thought about that before and showed up early as well. He shook his head. It was too late for regrets now. At least they were here. The only thing left to do was find Capitano.
He quickly headed inside, now leading the group instead of Citlali, and made a beeline for the main area of the party. The entirety of the stadium was covered with beautiful decorations, and there were plenty of tables with food and drinks spread around since the celebration was so large, but the main area was where the majority of the food was. That main area also had the most tables gathered in one area. If Capitano was anywhere, it was there. He doubted Capitano fixed himself a plate of food and went off to eat at a small table alone in another section of the stadium.
Even though the main area of the stadium was bustling with people, it wasn’t too hard to spot Capitano thanks to where he was sitting. Capitano was at the largest table in the room, surrounded by many noticeable figures. The Pyro Archon herself was there, along with the Traveler and Paimon and the other heroes of Natlan. It would be hard not to spot him.
There were still available seats at the table, likely because they’d been saved specifically for them, but he couldn’t help but frown. The seat next to Capitano was taken. Mavuika was on the right of Capitano, and one of his subordinates was on his left. That meant he’d be stuck one seat away from Capitano, but he had really wanted to sit next to him tonight. His ears drooped, flattening against his head. Ah, now he really regretted not showing up early.
He trailed behind Ifa and Citlali slightly, watching as his Granny took a seat next to the traveler and Ifa sat next to her. He sighed inwardly as he made his way to the seat between Ifa and the Fatui subordinate, but he was stopped before he could even sit down.
He blinked in surprise, eyes flicking to the Fatui soldier next to him as he got up. “This seat is yours. The captain ordered me to save it for you,” he whispered and moved to the seat next to Ifa, leaving the spot next to Capitano open for him.
In an instant, Ororon completely brightened up. He hadn’t considered Capitano saving a seat for him. “Oh… thank you. Thank you very much.” He beamed as he plopped down in the seat next to Capitano, looking up at him happily. “Hi… I’m glad you’re here.”
Capitano tipped his head at Ororon and tapped at the side of his helmet as a way of gesturing to his face. “I can tell,” he chuckled.
It took a moment, but realization quickly hit Ororon. “Ah…!” He rubbed at his cheeks furiously in an attempt to get rid of the smile on his face. It didn’t work, so instead he covered his mouth with one hand. “Mnh… sorry. I can’t help it,” he apologized softly. He was just so happy to see Capitano. It’d been a few days since they last met in person.
Capitano shook his head and grabbed Ororon’s wrist lightly, pulling his hand away from his mouth. “Don’t be. I was merely teasing.” Because Ororon was always so easy to tease. He was easily flustered and took certain things he said too seriously, then attempted to correct it as he’d done a moment ago. He found it cute, so he couldn’t help teasing him often, especially when Ororon always fell for it.
“Besides, no one’s paying us much attention.” Capitano gestured to the rest of the table. Everyone else was busy chatting amongst one another. Their table was the liveliest one in the room. He turned his attention back to Ororon. “I’m happy to see you too. You dressed up today. You look wonderful.”
Ororon had intended to nag Capitano a little for teasing him, but the compliment threw those plans out of the window. He’d already gotten two similar compliments earlier from his Granny and Ifa, but compliments from Capitano were in a ballpark of their own. They meant so much to him. He glanced down at his hands slightly as a blush steadily crept across his cheeks. “Thanks…" he whispered. It was a good thing no one was paying attention to them.
He glanced up at Capitano. For once, he was glad he couldn’t see Capitano’s face. He could guess what expression he was wearing at the moment, but actually seeing it might make his heart beat out of his chest. “You look great too.”
An amused laugh escaped Capitano’s lips. “Me? I haven’t even dressed for the occasion.”
Ororon could see Capitano wasn’t wearing anything different from his usual attire, but that didn’t change his opinion. “Mm… but you always look good.”
Capitano slipped his hand under the table and took hold of Ororon’s, intertwining their fingers. “Thank you.”
Ororon froze up in an instant, going stiff in his seat. If he wasn’t red before, then he definitely was the color of a tomato now. He slowly closed his fingers around Capitano’s hand and squeezed tightly, warmth spreading through his chest. “M-Mhm…” He shifted in his seat slightly. He was so happy he didn’t know what to do with himself.
Capitano sighed inwardly. He couldn’t help wishing they were elsewhere at the moment or that this relationship of theirs wasn’t a secret. Limiting himself to this amount of affection was a difficult task. He pushed those thoughts aside for the time being. Thinking about it wouldn’t change the current situation.
The empty space in front of Ororon drew Capitano’s attention. ”Are you hungry?”
Ororon blinked a few times. “Huh?” He’d been lost in his head.
“Are you hungry?” Capitano repeated, gesturing to the empty space in front of the shorter. “You didn’t grab anything before you sat down. If you’re hungry, I can have one of my subordinates bring you a plate,” he offered.
Ororon felt as if he could cry. When it came to him, Capitano was always so sweet and caring. He really didn’t know what he’d done to deserve someone like him. Did he really deserve all of this? He quickly shook his head. “Oh, no, no, that’s okay! I can just grab something myself,” he assured Capitano, but it was clear the other man wasn’t having it.
Capitano waved his free hand dismissively. “Nonsense. I insist.”
If Capitano insisted, how could he possibly say no? “Then… if it’s not too much trouble. Thank you.”
“It’s no trouble at all,” Capitano assured him. “What would you like?”
Ororon didn’t even glance over at the food table. With how much food there was, he knew there was no need to worry about the dish he desired being gone. “I’m not very hungry, so just a Forest of Color and a Gentle Sea Breeze to drink, please?”
Capitano hummed in confirmation, beckoning over one of his nearby subordinates. He repeated Ororon’s order to her, and she rushed off, quickly returning with the food. She placed the plate and cup down in front of Ororon, bowing slightly before she left.
“Ah…! Thank you,” Ororon called after her, tipping his head as he watched her go. He didn’t expect her to leave so quickly. He had wanted to thank her properly, but he supposed that would have to do.
Ororon went to take a bite of his food, promptly pausing when he realized he was still holding hands with Capitano. “Ah…”
If he wanted to eat, he was going to have to let go since he wasn’t left-handed. He couldn’t eat with that hand, but he didn’t want to let go of Capitano either. He stared down at his food with narrowed eyes, seriously tempted to just let the food sit there and sip at his drink instead. At least the drink had a straw. He didn’t even have to pick it up to sip at it.
But before he could put that plan into action, Capitano pulled his hand away, making him frown. “Thr— Capitano…” he pouted.
If he could, he would’ve pet Ororon at this moment. “You should finish your food. Then, we can return to how we were. No sense in letting the food go to waste.”
It was reasonable, but that didn’t mean Ororon was happy about it. He let out a little huff. “Okay…” He’d comply since it was the only way to get Capitano’s hand back. He began to eat his salad, swaying in his seat slightly. It was good.
——————
About halfway through their meal, a powerful but friendly voice rang throughout the room. “Everyone, if I could have your attention.”
It was the voice of Mauvika. In an instant, the entire room fell silent, and all eyes were on her.
Ororon chewed on his food silently as he listened to what their archon had to say. He assumed she had a speech of some sort to give about their victory and where Natlan would go from now on, and he was correct.
Mauvika did exactly that. First, she thanked everyone there for attending the celebration before speaking on the hard-fought war they’d won and how it meant an era of peace for Natlan. She thanked everyone who fought in the war, giving special thanks to the Traveler and Paimon, the heroes of Natlan, and to Capitano as well. After that, she spoke on how Natlan had much damage to recover from and the plans in place to deal with that. Then, unexpectedly, she passed the group’s attention over to Capitano so he could say a few words.
Capitano spoke on how he’d assist Natlan in rebuilding areas damaged during the war along with his subordinates before passing the attention back to the archon. He stood speaking for about three minutes at most before he reclaimed his seat next to Ororon.
Finally, Mauvika finished off her speech by giving one last thanks to the people of Natlan and telling everyone to enjoy the night. There was a loud cheer before Mauvika sat back down and the celebrations continued. Somehow, it was even more lively than before. He supposed that was the power of an archon.
In that time, Ororon had managed to clear his plate and finish off his drink, so the moment Capitano sat back down, he staked his claim over his hand, intertwining their fingers once more. “I didn’t know you’d be helping with the reconstruction.”
Capitano rubbed his thumb across the back of Ororon’s hand affectionately. “Mm, the decision was made yesterday. There’s still much discussion to be had before anything goes into effect.”
Ororon nodded slowly. “Is there anything I can do to help?” He wanted to be useful. He’d like to help Capitano with his dedicated area of rebuilding if possible.
“I’m sure there will be.” After all, there was plenty that needed to be done. “I’ll keep you updated.”
“Mm, thank you.” Ororon smiled. It didn’t matter what he was doing. As long as he got to be by Capitano’s side, he was happy.
“Captain.” Mauvika called, drawing Capitano’s attention. She smiled at the pair, bright eyes focusing on Ororon. “I hope you don’t mind my stealing him for a while. There’s much to discuss regarding the reconstruction efforts.”
Ororon let go of Capitano and waved his hands quickly. “I don’t mind at all. I know it’s important. Go ahead.”
“You have my thanks.” With that, she turned her attention back to Capitano.
Ororon watched as the two of them quickly became engaged in talks regarding Natlan, leaning back in his chair. Since he no longer had Capitano’s attention, there wasn’t much for him to do.
He simply sat in his chair, fiddling with his fingers as he looked around. There was nothing particularly interesting around, and he found his gaze naturally being drawn to Capitano and, by extension, Mauvika. He decided to listen in since there wasn’t anything better for him to do. He saw no harm in it. If the pair were talking about anything confidential, they would’ve left the room instead of staying in their seats.
At some point, he ended up tuning out all of the talk and getting lost in his own head as he watched the pair. Seeing them together, his mind couldn’t help drifting to how good they looked together and the day he’d confessed to Capitano.
Back then, he’d been so sure that Capitano would kindly reject him and everything would be over… because why would Capitano be interested in him when there were better options out there, such as Mauvika? She had been the first person to pop into his mind at that time because he’d heard talk around Natlan about the pair. Ever since the war ended and the people of Natlan realized all Capitano had wanted was to ensure Natlan’s survival, their perception of him changed pretty much overnight.
The people of Natlan had taken quite a liking to Capitano, but he’d also heard whispers of something going on between the two of them. Apparently, they had some kind of past together, but that aside, the majority of the talk was about how good the pair looked together, worked together, and got along nicely. Talks about how Capitano could potentially end up being somewhat like Natlan’s secondary leader by Mauvika’s side and how Natlan would be in outstanding hands if the two of them were together.
Thinking about such things made his stomach churn, but back then he figured it was a very real possibility. After all, what wasn’t there to like about Mauvika? She was strong, confident, talented, extremely caring, beautiful, outgoing… the list went on and on, but mainly she was his opposite. He was strong enough, but he definitely couldn’t compare to an archon. He wasn’t too confident, he wasn’t very talented at much besides growing fruits and vegetables, he was extremely caring, but he wouldn’t consider himself beautiful in the slightest. At best he was average, and he was anything but outgoing.
If someone had to choose between him and Mauvika, there was little reason for anyone to choose him… So when he confessed, it was somewhat on impulse. He just thought that he’d rather confess, be rejected, and have some closure for himself rather than Capitano ending up in a relationship with Mauvika before he ever got the chance to make his feelings known.
Although his expectations of rejection weren’t met back then, he still frequently woke up thinking that night had all been a dream… And even though they were dating now, he still wondered what Capitano even saw in him to begin with. Why would someone like Capitano be with someone like him? What cou—
A laugh abruptly pulled Ororon out of his thoughts, but not just any laugh—Capitano’s laugh. He refocused on the sight before him. He didn’t know when it had happened, but apparently the topic of conversation had shifted from serious matters to something else entirely.
As he watched them, he felt his stomach turn and an unpleasant feeling settle in his chest. He dug his nails into the palms of his hands, a stinging pain rushing up his arm. It hurt, but he barely noticed it. He gazed down at his lap. They did look really good together, didn’t they? He sucked in a tiny breath. He felt sick. He quietly slipped out of his seat and quickly fled to the nearest bathroom, letting out a hiss of pain as he slammed into something—someone.
"Woah, bro! Are you alright? Didn’t mean to—" Ifa paused mid-sentence, a concerned look taking over his face as he got a good look at Ororon. “You good, bro? You look pale.”
Ororon hadn’t expected to bump into Ifa of all people right now. He hadn’t been noticed when he left the table, but this was good. He could work with this. He looked around, mismatched eyes darting from corner to corner of the room. Then, he took Ifa’s hand and tugged him into the bathroom, shutting the door behind them quietly.
“I… I’m fine.” He really wasn’t, but he didn’t want to talk about it. All he wanted was to go home. “Just… Just… It’s my stomach. My stomach hurts, so I’m gonna go home early.” He shifted in place, rubbing at his arms. He really wished he had a hood with him now. It’d be great to hide under. He let out a little breath. “If Granny asks, just tell her that I got worried about my plants and went home.”
Ifa choked on air. “What—Bro, you want me to lie to your Granny?! You’re crazy! I can’t do that!” He hissed, running a hand through his hair. Just thinking about it stressed him out. “You know she’d spot my lie in an instant and pull the truth out of me!”
Ororon sighed, his shoulders slumping. He should’ve guessed that would be Ifa’s answer. Granny Itztli was not one to be taken lightly. “Then let’s just hope it takes her a while to notice I’m gone. You can tell her the truth if she asks about me, but let her know that I’m okay and that I want her to enjoy the night.”
He watched Ifa silently. Judging from the look on his face, he seemed less opposed to the idea but still not quite sure. “Please, Ifa. I’ll make it up to you, promise! I’ll owe you!” He pleaded, giving Ifa the puppy dog eyes for extra effect.
Ifa’s face scrunched up as he eyed Ororon. How was he supposed to say no when he was practically begging him? “I guess I can do that…” he finally relented, rubbing at the back of his neck.
Ororon managed to flash Ifa a little smile. “Thank you. I appreciate it, really.”
With that he turned his back to Ifa and went right to the window in the bathroom, opening it up. He glanced towards Ifa. “Ah, last thing. Can you close this window behind me? Thanks.” Then, he was gone.
Ifa pressed his lips into a line, watching as Ororon flew out the window and into the night with a straight face. Something was definitely going on, and he’d just agreed to help Ororon cover up whatever it was. He grumbled to himself as he shut the window and left the bathroom. What had he gotten himself into?
——————
Although Ifa had been extremely stressed out about the entire situation, things were going pretty smoothly. He’d been back at the table, and Citlali had yet to ask about Ororon. Thankfully, she already had some alcohol in her system and was babbling to the traveler about some novel. It didn’t seem like she’d ask about him anytime soon.
Ah, he’d been stressing out for nothing. He sipped at his drink and relaxed back in his seat. Now, he could enjoy the rest of the night.
“Where has Ororon gone?”
Ifa jolted on his seat, coughing harshly as he choked on his drink. Fuck. He didn’t expect someone other than Citlali to notice Ororon’s absence. He flicked his gaze over to the source of the voice. And he certainly didn’t expect the Captain to be the one to ask about him.
He swallowed thickly and wiped at his mouth. There was no need to panic. He could just pretend he didn’t know, like everyone else.
Citlali narrowed her eyes, staring directly at a certain Saurian vet. ”Ifa.”
He bit the inside of his cheek. Or not. Of course Citlali would turn to him first whenever it came to Ororon. There was no point in trying to lie or staying silent when all eyes were on him. He’d say what Ororon told him to and treat it lightly, as if it wasn’t a huge deal.
He cleared his throat. “Ah, Ororon? He went home early because his stomach was hurting, but it’s nothing too serious.” He turned to Citlali, flashing her a little smile. “He wanted me to let you know that he’s okay and not to worry about him. Ororon said he wants you to enjoy the night.”
Ifa had hoped that would pacify Citlali, but of course it didn’t. She immediately had something to say in protest, leaving him stuck trying to convince her not to leave to see him. Ororon definitely owed him for this one.
“With all due respect, Ororon told me himself it wasn’t that serious, and he’s not a baby anymore. Besides….”
Capitano had tuned out all of the chatter going on at that point, rising from his seat. “You’ll have to excuse me for the night, Mauvika. I have an urgent matter to attend to.” He bowed before leaving the table. He realized that his departure was quite abrupt, but he couldn’t care less. There were more important things to worry about than that.
——————
The moment Ororon reached his place, he rushed right to his bedroom, stumbling along the way as he hastily tugged off his clothes and tossed them aside carelessly. Worrying about the cleanup could come later. He pulled his hair out of its ponytail and dove into bed, changing into his pajamas once he found them all jumbled up in his covers.
He sucked in a deep breath and closed his eyes, slowly exhaling a moment later. He still felt a bit queasy, but not as much as he had at the party. Being wrapped in a bundle of blankets was very relaxing. He curled up into a ball and pulled his knees to his chest, hugging them.
Part of him regretted going to that celebration. The night had started off so well, then abruptly took a turn for the worst. All he wanted to do now was forget that he’d gone and everything he saw, but his mind wasn’t being very kind to him. He wanted to sleep so he could forget, but what he saw in his head were images of Capitano and Mauvika.
He popped his head out of his makeshift cocoon and stared at the window blankly. Trying to sleep clearly wasn’t the best idea. He’d been trying to maintain a normal sleep schedule, but he’d be forgoing that tonight. He didn’t want to keep seeing those images of them in his head. The best way to have a dreamless night was essentially to pass out, wasn’t it? So he’d stay up until sleep forced itself onto him. That seemed like a good idea… or rather it was much better than the alternative in his opinion.
Besides, there was plenty for him to do, such as taking care of his plants and aphids. They could always use some extra care. He wriggled out of his cocoon and hopped out of bed, heading to the front door.
Knock, knock, knock.
Ororon froze like a deer in headlights, staring at the door with wide eyes. Someone was here? Now? At his place? Who? And why? While he didn’t know exactly how much time had passed, he knew he hadn’t been gone for more than thirty minutes. Who could be at his door already? Had Ifa failed to buy him time that badly?
“Ororon? Are you there? It’s me.”
Ororon’s breath hitched. He slowly backed away from the door. Of all people, it was Capitano. If anything, he expected his Granny to be at the door, but Capitano? He had to hide. He scurried back to his room as quickly and quietly as he possibly could and crawled under the bed.
Was the bed a good hiding spot? Typically it wasn’t, but it was a great spot for him since he could get smaller. He shifted into his bat form and shuffled to the darkest area under the bed. There was no way Capitano could find him there.
He closed his eyes, listening quietly, and sure enough, he heard the sound of a lock clicking and a door creaking open. He wasn’t surprised Capitano was coming in. When he gave Capitano a key to his place the day they began dating, he told him he was always welcome anytime, and he meant that. "Anytime" meant anytime, even now.
He swallowed, his breathing slowing as footsteps grew progressively louder and another door creaked open. This one was his bedroom door.
”Ororon?”
His heart hammered in his chest. It was okay. There was no way for Capitano to know he was under the bed or even home for that matter. If he waited it out, Capitano would leave on his own.
About every ten seconds, the sound of Capitano calling his name, accompanied by the sound of footsteps, reached his ears. Ah, Capitano was looking around for him. He just had to wait for Capitano to give up. The sounds continued for about five minutes, then everything went silent, and he didn’t know what was happening anymore.
Capitano hadn’t left. He could tell because he didn’t hear the front door opening and closing or Capitano’s footsteps receding for that matter. What was going on?
He slowly opened his eyes, only to find two blue eyes staring right back at him four feet away. In that moment, his heart stopped. He had just screwed himself over by opening his eyes at the worst possible time. There was no way Capitano could’ve spotted him before, but now it was too late.
”Ah, there you are,” Capitano called, relief seeping into his voice as he slid an outstretched hand under the bed.
Ororon knew what the gesture meant. It was a silent request for him to come out. He stared at Capitano’s hand, shrinking into himself a little. He should stay put and tell Capitano to go away… but he doubted he’d listen. Capitano could be very stubborn when it came to these things. Now that he’d been found, the jig was pretty much up.
He began to slowly shuffle towards Capitano’s hand, feeling incredibly nervous. He wasn’t exactly sure if he wanted to see Capitano right now. His instinct was to hide away for the rest of the day, but part of him really wanted to curl up in Capitano’s arms. Despite the uncertainty inside of him, his legs continued to move on their own.
Once he reached Capitano’s hand, he plopped down in his palm and let Capitano take him out from under the bed. He squinted when the light hit his eyes, blinking rapidly until his eyes finally adjusted. He couldn’t help shrinking into himself again when he met Capitano’s eyes and quickly looked away. Oh, he was in for it now, wasn’t he?
Ororon slowly began to shift back to his humanoid form, relaxing back in Capitano’s arms as the man shifted to support his weight. “Hi…” He whispered.
Capitano shifted Ororon into his lap as he took a seat on the bed and slipped his arms around his waist. “Hi,” he echoed, pressing a kiss to Ororon’s forehead. “You were hiding from me. Why?”
Ororon whimpered and buried his face into the crook of Capitano’s neck. Of course that was the first question he asked. “…You weren’t supposed to be here. You were still supposed to be at the party,” he mumbled, fidgeting with his fingers.
Capitano shook his head. “When I inquired about your location, Ifa let everyone know you’d gone home.” He began to rub circles on Ororon’s back. “Why didn’t you let me know that you were leaving or that you were unwell?”
Ororon shrugged a little and went limp in Capitano’s arms, purring slightly. The rubbing was very relaxing. It calmed his nerves. "Mm… you were busy, so—"
“I’m never too busy for you,” Capitano cut in, and Ororon didn’t know what to say in response to that.
Suddenly, he felt very silly for being worried earlier. It was still eating away at him in the back of his mind, but it was no longer front and center in his head. He pulled back just enough to look Capitano in the eye. “M’sorry… I just… didn’t want to worry you,” he mumbled, nuzzling Capitano affectionately.
Capitano cupped Ororon’s cheek, rubbing his thumb across it gently. “You worry me more when you hide these things from me, Ororon. I’d prefer if you brought such matters to my attention. That’s what I’m here for, is it not?”
Ororon leaned into the hand on his cheek and closed his eyes, purring softly. Being alone with Capitano was the best. When they were alone, he removed his mask and gloves at the very least. He enjoyed feeling Capitano’s skin on his.
"You're here for more than that…" Capitano was a lot more than some person meant to comfort him. “But you’re right.” They were together now—officially dating. He supposed he was meant to tell him about these things. “I’m sorry…” He couldn’t help apologizing again. He did feel bad about leaving without a word, and although he knew he should talk to Capitano about how he was feeling, he didn’t think he could. It wasn’t a big deal. He was just… being stupid and getting into his own head over nothing. He’d get over it soon enough, so he’d keep it to himself.
Capitano smiled and placed a kiss right on the corner of Ororon’s lips. “It’s alright. Is your stomach still upset? Can you manage to hold down soup? I brought a bowl with me.” He tilted his head towards Ororon’s nightstand, where a warm bowl of soup rested on top of a coaster to prevent the wood from warping.
Those words went in one of Ororon’s ears and right out the other. His mind was on that kiss he was given, if that could even be counted as one. What was that? Whatever it was, it was definitely intentional. He didn’t know what game Capitano was playing, but he did know he wanted a kiss—a proper kiss. “Thrain…”
Capitano raised an eyebrow at Ororon. “Is that a ‘yes’?”
He was definitely being messed with. “No!” His eyes drifted towards the soup. “I mean—yes. I’d like the soup, but…” He never got the chance to finish, as he was intentionally cut off by Capitano.
“That’s good. Here.”
Ororon glanced down at the bowl of soup that was placed in his hands. It was chicken noodle soup. A classic. Seeing it made him feel all warm and fuzzy inside. He felt very cared for. He glanced up at Capitano. "Thank y—" A pause.
Wait! He was getting distracted! He still had to get down to the bottom of what Capitano was doing. “Thrain! You… my…” He fumbled over his words a bit, fidgeting with the bowl in his hands.
“Go on,” Capitano encouraged gently, rubbing Ororon’s back again.
Ororon couldn’t help pouting at Capitano. He was being sweet, yes, but still messing with him at the same time. “I want a kiss…”
Surprisingly, Capitano complied, or at least he thought he did. He perked up when Capitano began to lean in, only to leave another kiss on the corner of his lips.
He stared at Capitano with a blank expression, racking his brain for some explanation for what was currently going on. It took a few seconds to hit him. “Thrain… you said it was alright. I thought you forgave me,” he huffed softly, his ears going back slightly. Capitano was a liar.
Capitano laughed and pet Ororon a couple of times, scratching behind his ears gently. “I have, but consider this a punishment, of sorts.”
Ororon couldn’t help leaning into Capitano’s touch, pressing his head into his hand. It only lasted for a moment before he jerked away. He was supposed to be somewhat upset with Capitano right now, but it was hard to be upset when he was being pet. He narrowed his eyes at Capitano, then glanced over at the hand hovering above his head. But it felt nice… Just a little more wouldn’t hurt. He could enjoy the petting and be upset at the same time.
“Punishment? For how long?” Ororon purred out, closing his eyes. So much for being upset at the same time.
Capitano hummed, considering a time frame. “Until you’ve finished eating.” He decided.
Ororon blinked his eyes open in surprise. The time frame was shorter than he expected, but he wasn’t complaining. He would’ve been devastated if it’d gone on for too long. He hadn’t gotten to kiss Capitano in days.
“Mm, I’ll eat!” He was feeling hungry since the meal he’d chosen at the celebration wasn’t very filling. He pulled the wrap off of the bowl and swallowed a large spoonful of soup, letting out a happy hum. He felt even warmer than before. “Thank you.” He’d gotten cut off before, so he wanted to make sure he got the words out. He really appreciated it.
If Capitano wasn’t currently punishing Ororon, he would’ve kissed him. “You’re welcome.”
Ororon beamed and offered a spoonful of soup to Capitano. “Want some?” The faster he could get rid of the soup, the quicker he could get that kiss. He wasn’t sure if Capitano would accept it because he was smart. There was no way he didn’t know what he was trying to do, but he hoped he had mercy on him.
He watched Capitano with expectant eyes, perking up when he actually leaned in, closed his lips around the spoon, and swallowed the soup. Mission accomplished!
The next few minutes were spent in comfortable silence as Ororon swallowed a couple spoonfuls of soup while occasionally offering some to Capitano. The bowl was cleared in no time.
Ororon quickly set the bowl aside and looked up at Capitano with big, expectant eyes. “I’m finished. Is my punishment over?”
His question was graced with no verbal response—only the press of cold lips against warm ones, and Ororon melted. He was quick to wrap his arms around the taller’s neck, pressing as close as he possibly could. It’d been way too long since their last kiss. The fact that he wasn’t guaranteed one every day was criminal, but it was alright. Those missed kisses could be made up for right now.
He nibbled on Capitano’s bottom lip lightly, a silent request for him to open up, which was almost instantly obliged. He pushed his tongue inside his lover’s mouth, shivers running through his body as Capitano’s much colder tongue entangled with his warmer one. It was cold but so warm at the same time; he loved it and could never get enough.
He peeked an eye open when he felt moving, relaxing again when he realized Capitano was only adjusting their positions. A sigh of contentment escaped his lips when he was laid back and Capitano moved over him, comfortably resting his weight on top of him. He moaned quietly as Capitano deepened the kiss and licked into his mouth, taking over the kiss entirely, which he didn’t mind. He was always happy to submit.
Unfortunately, the kiss couldn’t go on forever despite how much he wanted it to. The lack of air in his lungs decided when the kiss was over, and that was now. Reluctantly, he pulled away enough to breathe while staying as close to Capitano as physically possible. He gazed at Capitano as he began to slowly catch his breath, drinking in the air Capitano exhaled and vice versa due to their close proximity. They were so close their lips were just barely touching, and he was content with that for the moment. He didn’t want to be any further apart.
“Love you…” He whispered, rubbing his nose against Capitano’s affectionately.
“I love you too,” he whispered in return, pressing a few quick pecks to Ororon’s lips. “Are you alright?”
A soft huff escaped his lips in response. Although he had intended to stay as they were, being a little further apart wouldn’t hurt. Especially if it meant getting his point across, so he pulled back enough so he could look at Capitano properly, immediately sending a half-hearted glare his way. Each of his hands found their way to Capitano’s face, settling on his cheeks. “Thrain…”
There was no need for him to say anything more. Capitano already knew what that meant. He was tired of getting that question. Whenever they laid like this, Capitano was always concerned about crushing him with his weight. In the beginning, it’d taken a lot of convincing to persuade Capitano into resting on top of him. He could admit that it was a reasonable concern given their size difference, but they’d lain this way multiple times, and he was fine.
Was Capitano’s weight crushing him a bit? Yes. And did that make it slightly hard for him to breathe if Capitano laid all his weight on him for too long? Also, yes, but that wasn’t the point! It wasn’t dangerous unless Capitano laid on him for hours on end, which never happened. That aside, he enjoyed the weight on his chest. He didn’t know why. It just felt nice to have that pressure there. He enjoyed cuddling in this position.
Capitano turned his face into the hand on his cheek, kissing Ororon’s palm. “I know. I know. I apologize. When it comes to you, I can’t help worrying,” he admitted, as he continued to kiss Ororon, moving along with each one. He kissed and kissed, leaving a trail of apologetic kisses from Ororon’s palm, up his arm, and all the way to his neck.
Ororon couldn’t help squirming beneath Capitano, laughing softly as he was showered in kisses. It was ticklish. He wrapped his arms around Capitano and cocked his head to the side, giving him more access to his neck. “Ahaha! Okay, okay, I forgive you.” Although he was never really mad to begin with. When Capitano worried about him, all it did was fill his entire body with warmth, so any scolding was lighthearted.
He squeezed Capitano gently. “I missed you. Can you stay tonight?” He asked hopefully. The majority of the time Capitano could stay at his place or vice versa, but there were times when he worked during the night. This time, he hoped the former was the case.
The moment Ororon saw Capitano’s lips curve into a smile, he knew the answer, and relief flooded his body in an instant. He didn’t want to be alone tonight.
“Of course. There’s no work that needs tending to tonight. I’ll be here,” he assured Ororon. “Although…”
Before Ororon even had the chance to ask for further clarification, Capitano rolled onto his side and pulled him into his arms. Ah, of course. Capitano couldn’t lie on top of him all night, so a change of position was necessary. He pressed close to Capitano and nuzzled his face into the crook of his neck, taking a deep breath. He loved Capitano’s scent. This position was acceptable. Being wrapped up in big, strong arms was just as good as Capitano resting on him. It was warm.
Although it normally took a while for sleep to come to Ororon, it was already starting to hit him. He closed his eyes as a yawn forced its way out of him. Today had been a long day, and everything that happened earlier left him feeling drained physically and emotionally. Now that it was all over and he was in a safe space, he felt tired all at once. “Goodnight,” he murmured. He’d still be awake for a little while with his eyes closed, but he knew it wouldn’t be long before sleep took over.
Capitano kissed Ororon on the head and settled down to rest as well, closing his eyes. “Goodnight, Ororon.”
Today hadn’t gone exactly how Ororon imagined it going. The party had been somewhat of a disaster, but this time with Capitano now made up for it. Overall, the entire day had been okay, but that was alright.
Tomorrow will be a better day.
That was Ororon’s final thought before he drifted off to sleep.