You are my hero! But I am not a villain. (1/1 closed)

"That we will, darling Narciso." Auraleous purred, setting aside the menu, gently cupping his wine glass and bringing it to his lips, taking a short sip. He nodded his head, his smile brightening when Narciso mentioned teaching him how to cook.

"I can't promise I won't burn water. You have been warned. But I would love that. If I am, in fact, a lost cause in the kitchen even with all your expertise, then I guess I get to enjoy your wonderful cooking regardless, and of course, I'd relieve you of any dish duty." He offered, excited by the idea of finally having good food at his disposal. Food was just the tip of the iceberg; he loved the idea of spending time with Narciso. If he had to dig up his very little ancient knowledge of making food to have a chance to spend more time with Narciso, it would be more than worth the struggle. "You'd think out of all the lives we've lived, I would have learned to make some basic food." He chuckled embarrassingly as the waiter came over to put in their orders.

"Two shrimp risottos and a side of Mozzarella sticks," he ordered, nodding his thanks as the waiter took their menus.

"Whenever we arrange another date for cooking, are you sure you want me over?" He asked, realizing a second too late how slightly ominous that sounded. "Not that you have any reason not to have me over! It's just that we haven't really been in each other's personal spaces for much longer than a few seconds. Even if this is far more than what we're used to, you're sure it won't be too overwhelming? Not that this is overwhelming! or to say I don't like this, I like this very much. I- I'm rambling." He gave a weak laugh, wanting to blame his racing heart and reddening cheeks on the wine he had been sipping but Auraleous knew his alcohol tolerance was nowhere met yet. "You're sure it won't be too much all at once?" He finally asked, searching Narciso with newfound determination. Was this imperfect, no longer hero, too much?

Auraleous' first instinct was to ask if Narciso was sure. Weren't they moving too fast? This was their first date, after all. Usually, talking about going over to someone's house and sleeping the night was for date two or even 3 but Auraleous had never really been good at dating. It was by sheer luck he had managed to be with his previous partners, and he couldn't even put a name to whatever divine intervention had let him be with Narciso. Regardless, he was beyond happy to be with him, the love of his life it had taken him far too long to recognize. They couldn't be moving too fast, if anything, they had been moving too slowly lives ago. This should have been their weekly dinner dates, something they kept up even after being married for years now. Sleeping in the same bed together shouldn't have made Auraleous nervous because it would have been something they were used to by now, something they looked forward to every night. Auraleous wanted that feeling again, but he had no intention of finding a temporary partner, no matter how much he had loved his previous ones, he couldn't go through losing a loved one. Narciso would be someone he would be allowed to love forever, granted whatever god or otherworldly being that had given them immortality felt generous enough for them to keep it.
He brushed his thumb over Narciso's hand, determined to commit every inch of his skin to memory. "No, my dear." he breathed a laugh, shaking his head. "No, even in all your spectacle, you will never be too much. I promise," he reassured, thinking back to all the times he had faced off against Narciso. He had always managed to choose the most theatrical of places, the Rifle Tower, the Coliseum, and the Great Wall of China, all with equally grandiose schemes that would attract Auraleous to him.
He grinned and arched an eyebrow in surprise "Oh really? Honestly, I'm surprised. Grocery shopping and cleaning your apartment almost sounds normal." he teased, though he did find the idea of doing mundane tasks, even as simple as spending the day tidying the apartment, blissful, and it gave Auraleous a chance to see Narciso as something more than just the villain he had come to love over lives.
"I would love to come over, and if you still like the idea, I wouldn't mind staying the night with you." he said softly, his gaze flickering down to Narciso's lips for a moment before he caught himself and refocused on his date's eyes. "More than okay, my dear." He reassured, placing the napkin in his lap with his free hand as dinner was served.

Auraleous nodded, a grin spreading on his lips. "Hm? I like that as a new nickname. Beats out Stormcloud." He mused with a laugh, pressing a soft kiss to Narciso's hand before letting go so they could enjoy their meal. "Anything you cook will be infinitely better than what I make alone at home." He reassured, saying a small 'thank you' for the food before digging into the risotto. He hadn't had a decent meal since lunch earlier that day, and he hadn't even finished it all due to his rising nerves over the date. Eating also gave him a distraction from how much he had been focusing on Narciso. Not that he wanted that to change, but Auraleous had always been someone to put extra thought into every decision he made, or at least he tried when he had a clear mind to do so. As much as it excited him to be with Narciso, he had to consider the lives they lived outside of dating one another. Auraleous was still the city hero, and he doubted Narciso would stop being a vigilante just because Auraleous was his partner. Auraleous didn't know if he would necessarily want Narciso to stop his job even if he didn't agree with all his choices, considering they did yield some results the agency couldn't take credit for. And Auraleous would be lying if he didn't admit that working with Narciso, or in most cases against him, wasn't the highlight of most of his days. Now that would change, though Auraleous hoped for the better.
"How is it?" He asked after a few minutes of comfortable silence where they simply enjoyed their meal and each other's company. "I hope the place is to your liking. I wasn't too sure if you liked fancy places, so I thought this was a nice in-between, though, to be honest, I mostly went off of how good the menu looked." Auraleous had spent half his shift looking for updated ideas with Conan and the other half searching every local restaurant for something both delicious and semi-affordable. In the end, Auraleous had settled on the current restaurant, more formal than he had originally intended, but he had wanted to impress on their first date, and he had been dying for traditional Italian food for a while now. "I've never actually been here, but Conan had recommended it. I trust him with my life most days, so I think it's safe to say I could trust him with choosing a restaurant for a date."

Auraleous tilted his head in thought. "That's the thing. I don't want to call you what everyone else does. I want to find a name to call you that's mine alone." He gave a slight shrug as he swirled what remained of the wine in his glass. "It's something I'll keep workshopping for now." He reassured, returning to his meal as he mulled over nicknames or terms of endearment for future use. What good of a boyfriend would he be if he didn't call his partner every adorable nickname under the sun? If he didn't find the right one in English, he'd try his first language, Spanish. And if Spanish didn't yield any results, then he'd try Romanian. He would try every language until he found something to call Narciso, something that encompassed how much he cared and loved him all in one word.

Auraleous breathed a laugh and nodded, making a mental note to find food trucks and niche spots to take Narciso on their next date, seeing as he didn't mind exploring a bit. "you have no idea how relieved I am to hear that. The mental backflips I did try to find a place that wasn't too fancy but not too cheap, that had the right food but wasn't busy, and everything just right had me on edge the entire day." He admitted, "Any thanks is owed to Conan, at the very least for having to put up with my anxiety for the both of us."

Auraleous shook his head "Not always. Conan is a food blogger as a side gig. He found this place on a whim and published a few articles on it." He leaned in conspiratorally and whispered, "I think he's their favorite customer." He chuckled lightly "He called in a favor and reserved our dinner tonight. I like it too. It has a gorgeous view of the river, and it's not as busy as I thought for a weekend." he mused with a smile as he took a moment to appreciate the window side view of the river. "We'll definitely have to come back when it's warmer. Conan showed me they have outdoor seating in the summer."

Auraleous nodded, "anywhere?" He asked with a grin, already reconsidering a few places he had deemed 'too cliche' or ' not exciting enough' as dates before he had settled on the restaurant. He found his gaze always seemed to travel up every few moments. As enticing as his food was, his date was more so. Auraleous was hungry for more, he wanted to know more about Narciso, what got him excited like now, what brought that smile to his face. He wanted to know what would keep it there for as long as possible. He nodded, "mhm!" He dug out his phone from his pocket to pull up the blog and show Narciso Conan's work. "I wouldn't be surprised if he ate at some of the restaurant venues you've photographed at."
Stuffing his phone back into his pocket, Auraleous returned to his meal for a brief moment, his cheeks growing warm. "Surely I don't compare," he murmured, finishing off his last bite of food and cradling the wine glass in his hand. "Not to the river," he nods towards the window, gazing out of it for a moment with a wistful smile. He tipped the glass towards Narciso, "and certainly not to you, amor." With a final sip, Auraleous picked up the small dessert pamphlet on their table and read over their options. A significantly smaller selection than dinner, but very traditional, and all sounded like a wonderful way to end their dinner. "I'm torn between the tiramisu and the lemonchello gelato. Anyone you're particularly leaning towards? Or something else on the menu?" He asked, passing the dessert menu to Narciso.

Auraleous' eyes widened slightly, but they never dropped from Narciso's form, not that he wanted to ever again. "Cariño?" he echoed in a rough whisper, gently taking Narciso's hand and pressing a kiss to his knuckles "You have no idea what those words do to me, coming from you, inimă mea." To show his point, Auraleous pressed the back of Narciso's hand to his blazing cheek. "What a coincidence. I was hoping to find a certain redhead with melted chocolate eyes. The gelato will have to do for now." He agreed, gaze flickering up when the waiter came back.
Momentarily, Auralous had forgotten, or perhaps he chose to believe for a few moments that they were gloriously alone and that this little flirtatious cat and mouse game could go on for as long as they chose, or until one or both of them caved to their cravings of one another. but they weren't alone, they weren't in Auraleous' home on their couch on front of a digital fireplace or on the rooftop overlooking the city scape. They were out in public, at a restaurant on a technically first date. So by obligation, Auraleous had to have some sense of public decency.
He set Narciso's hand back on the table but kept them laced together as he turned his attention to the awaiting waiter.
"What may I get you two gentlemen to finish off the night?" He asked, prepped and ready with his little notepad.
"Just the lemoncello gelato to share, please." He asked with a small smile, watching as the waiter jotted down the dessert before whisking away. "I would love to come back here. The food is amazing and its beautiful." He noted, idly brushing his thumb back and forth against Narciso's hand. "I wonder what else could be around. Surely they'd take advantage of the lovely landscape to expand for tourists and locals alike."

A delicious chill licked up Auraleous' spine as the comfortable warmth of the restaurant met his exposed ankle. And who was to blame for that lovely feeling other than the man across from him, heady gaze filled with nothing but anticipation and desire. Auraleous huffed a flustered little sigh, a grin tugging at his lips as he shook his head slightly. How was he supposed to last the rest of the night if this alone made him want to hide away with Narciso, tucked away in the safety of his bed, without interruption from the outside world? It took every ounce of self-control not to finish the dinner there and then.

He lightly caught Narciso's foot underneath the table, arcing an eyebrow in silent challenge, just as they always had been. It seemed no matter the situation, a fight in The Louvre, a chase through Rome, and now apparently a date at a fancy restaurant, couldn't keep the pair from teasing and testing each other's limits. "You are a menace, dearest one." He teased, tilting his head as his gaze drifted along the river outside the venue, following its ebb and flow towards the city.

"It's sort of funny," He refocused on Narciso, clearly the better of the two views. "I've been the hero of this city for years, and yet I still feel as if I barely know anything about it. I honestly wasn't sure of the first place to go on a date until Connan suggested this restaurant." Auraleous scratched the back of his head out of embarrassment. "You'd think after so long I would have planned out amillion dates for us to hypothetically go on." He brightened at the mention of the park and arcade, "We should go some time, perhaps as a second date, that is, if I've earned another date with you." His voice dipped back into that teasing lilt as his fingers traced the lines of Narciso's palm and up his wrist, just far enough to feel his pulse beneath his fingertips.

"And tell me, how well am I doing? Are the odds in my favor?" He asked, letting narciso's foot go under the table as the waitor came over with a delicate plate of gelato, perfectly spherical and decorated with slices of fruit and flakes of gold, accompanied by two equally dainty spoons.
"Your dessert gentlemen, and the check. Thank you both for dining with us this evening. May the rest of your night go smoothly." The waiter gave a slight bow at the hip before leaving the pair to enjoy the rest of their date.
Auraleous smoothly swiped the check out of reach before Narciso had any ideas of doing the same and put his car din the sleeve, along with a handsome tip for the incredible wait staff.
"As undeserving as I am, I'm equally lucky to have so many chances to both win your heart and travel through a city I've been living in for years." He laughed softly, easing some of the tension in his shoulders. Realistically, he knew that Narciso couldn't care less about the perfect hero mask Auraleous so easily slipped into when in public. He was trying to be better at being more natural, more himself. He was allowed to admit when he messed up or didn't know things. Oddly enough, when they weren't fighting, Narciso felt like one of the only people he could let his perfect, wonder boy persona completely fall.
He picked up the tiny spoon and dipped it into the sphere of gelato. He held out his little bite, waiting to toast with Narciso. "Then to our next date," he declared, gently clinking the spoons together before taking the bite into his mouth, the bright pop of lemon dancing across his tongue in a refreshing, citrusy coolness. The perfect way to end the wonderful dinner.
"Always, darling. If that so happens to be the case, I have no problem carrying you around the rest of the night." His free hand had slipped from where it toyed with the edge of Narciso's sleeve, silently eager to discover more warmth, back to his hand, gently holding it to keep any form of connection.

Auraleous ducked his head shyly, as if there was anywhere to hide. “Thank you, my dear. Hearing that from you means a lot.” A small smile tugged at his lips, “I’m glad, but that doesn’t mean I won’t stop trying. With such a long life, we have to keep some spontaneity in our relationship. I can’t wait to find more ways to fall in love with you, to win your heart, over and over again.”

He welcomed the tartness of the gelato, keeping at bay a near uncontrollable smile, “I wouldn’t mind holding you close to me all night, keeping you warm and safe.” his gaze slowly slid back to meet Narciso’s gaze, a bit more brave, a bit more excited to learn what it meant actually to love Narciso, not just from afar now.

”Indeed it is. Are you still up for exploring the night markets? It should be open by now, I think you can even see it from here.” He stood, guiding Narciso up as he searched their view of the river, the water now inky black and still, becoming one with the night where sky met horizon off in the distance. Embers in golds and ceruleans dotted that horizon, the gentle glow of lanterns signaling the start of the market. “There!” He excitedly pointed towards those glowing lights, “I used to go all the time when I was a kid with my parents. We would get these little homemade marshmallows from one of the stands that were to die for. There was more than just food; there were vendors of all sorts, oh, and craftsmen and entertainers. I could go on for hours, but it's better if you’re in the heart of the square, taking it all in.” He lifted Narciso’s hand and pressed a kiss to his knuckles. “Let me steal you away for the night, my darling.”