there was hesitation from both parties. he, who hovered a finger over the two options so neatly laid out before him -- and of noel, face stained in dissatisfaction at what the other was trying to drag him into. theo had read over description of an all day excursion twice now, having only looked away when the boy at his side began to speak. everything noel wished to say was written in his expression; in the way his eyes narrowed to the direction his lips turned when he frowned. if he had been born a better man theo would have given in the second he noticed, taken action to close the quest before him and allow the npc to retreat back in wait for another pair to take on their task. but … he hadn’t -- and so he waited, an eager expression contrasting the one being given to him.

noels’ reasoning wasn’t wrong. with everything this quest had laid out it’d be a long day ahead of them ; and, while the rewards were good, the effort they’d need to put in didn’t quite add up. “you’re right,” theo mused, ignoring the gesture to move or even look past where he stood. while this quest would surely be (in some sense) a waste of their time, there was something on theos mind he couldn’t quite shake as he stayed, rooted in place with a smile he couldn’t hide. this quest would bring the two to the beach-- a whole day of fun in the sun, amidst the white sand and waves. but, most of all, they’d need to wear the appropriate attire for such a time. which, in the simplest of terms, meant noel in a bathing suit -- and that … that would be worth all the trouble.

before the other could react theo pressed his finger against the accept button, ignoring the disappearing screen before them and the large letters spelling out the now pending status of an active quest. he could hear the npc saying something; a pre-installed speech that theo could care less about. “oh nooo… i hit the wrong button,” theo said, composing his smile in an attempt to look genuinely surprised. even in his best attempts noel would be able to see right through him and now, with lips parted up in a half hidden grin and his eyes screaming of some inside joke he wasn’t about to share -- the idea of trying to hide his intentions were laughable at best. “i … i guess we have no choice now but to do this quest. if only i had paid more attention to what i was clicking.”

theo knew the second he even contemplated accepting the quest that he’d be in bad standing with noel. the look that had been plastered all over the boy's face had screamed all the words he’d hear in due time. noels attempt to stop his finger from pressing accept had fallen on deaf ears. theo had already found his drive, a self-proclaimed goal of the day, and he was going to do whatever it took to achieve it. despite the way noel was looking at him theo felt proud of himself (probably more than he should). it showed in his eyes and in the way he held himself as he waited for noels actual reaction. would he yell at him? hit him? maybe both ; or even neither, and noel would instead refuse to talk to him for a good hour or so.

“what are you doing?”

he had been expecting everything besides what noel had chosen to do in response to his little stunt. his voice dropped to silence as theo watched, eyes following the menus appearing before noel as he made his way to the party information and towards the disband button. it was only when noel glared at him and began to talk that theo looked away, returning the same glare that stared him down. “don’t you dare,” theo murmured, intimidation falling to downhearted hesitation. he waited -- listening to noel talk all the while glancing at how close his finger was to the button. he could get noel back in the party. there was no way noel would say no and leave him all alone to finish this quest… right?

“stop!” theo shouted, possibly a little too loud than need be. he didn’t want to take the chance of having noel leave and not come back; plus, he’d need as much help as possible to complete the quest. in a quick motion theo reached out, grabbing noel by his other arm to pull him near, attempting to (at least) throw him off balance enough to where he wasn’t as close to leaving as before. “don’t leave,” theo started, “the quest isn’t even that bad. we’ll get it done, no problem-- i promise.”

this was all such a huge overreaction. theo didn’t need to grab noels arm like this, nor did he need to pull him over to try and get his hand away from the disband screen. but in the moment he was desperate, careless and still a little amused over the whole situation. it wasn’t his intention to cause noel to fall and, as he watched the boy steady himself, theo let go just as quick as he had reached out. noels words were met with a silent glare, a partially open mouth to say some witty retort his mind soon dismissed at the sight of the screen before noel and the soft ping of an alert in his ear. from his periphery he could see the familiar information of his party members stats gone, leaving nothing in its place except a small reminder that he was on his own.

it didn’t take much to realize what had happened, but when he stared -- eyes trained on that amused look being given to him -- theo couldn’t believe it had happened. in a moment of stunned silence theo stood, words failing to reach his tongue as he opened his mouth to speak, only to close it a few seconds after. in the minute that passed theo stayed, rooted in place with eyes trained on his friend. without even looking at himself theo knew how he looked; crestfallen and pouty -- and the mere thought of that alone made him glare down his friend.

“sorry, can’t help you. i only talk to party members.” theo said, ignoring the tone in his voice and the reminder of how childish he was acting raising in the back of his mind. even if it was right noel had started it. “if you want you could join up with me. you don’t seem as mean as this one guy who was in my party before.”

Just as before Theo didn’t listen to the others words, letting the simple command to stop fall flat and into short lived silence. He was just as stubborn as Noel and they both knew it. Theo wasn’t about to give up, even if the cause for their current situation had been of his own doing. Despite the question (one of which he assumed to be rhetorical) Theo quickly decided no answer was the best choice; and so he stood, unmoving in wait for his friend to finally come to his senses and give in. It was (like he had guessed) Noel who faulted first. Their gaze left one another for a moment but from their Noels whole attitude began to crumble and Theo, while entirely amused and rather satisfied that he had ‘won’ this argument, did his best to not gloat just yet.

A soft ping flooded his senses as an alert appeared before him, and only than did his glare end as his eyes left Noel. The bolded text caught his attention first, then the two options below. Accept or deny. Now, he thought, it was time to gloat. With a finger gently pressed against his bottom lip, musing over the options presented to him, Theo took his time as his friend spoke. A small glance up at the boys face was all he gave in response, quickly returning to the puzzling question before his eyes. “Don’t rush me please, I’m picky with who I want in my party... and after my last friend so rudely left me all alone, well ... I’m in a vulnerable state.” Theo knew the moment the words began to leave his mouth that he would regret pushing Noel; but it was hard to stop once he started. Maybe it was a guilty pleasure to see his friend upset like this from his own doing. “Do you think you’ll be able to keep me safe? I’m just a humble support ... and I’ll need someone to keep me safe and not leave me all by myself in the middle of a battle or say, right after I accepted a fun quest for us to do…” There was a small sense of bitterness in his tone near the end of his little performance, a small pout on his lips as he eyed Noel with the same amused expression in his eyes as he had the second he accepted the quest. “You know, for example.”

This wasn’t the first time Theo had pushed Noel just a tad too far, and with his self-destructive nature it wouldn't be the last either. It was their own, odd little game. A playful back and forth of taunts and provoked reactions neither of them wanted to lose; but in the end one had to give in. He should have just accepted the party request once it had appeared, not drag it out as much as he had to see that reaction he loved so much. But, with Noel's glare glued to him until the boy turned to leave, it was hard to imagine why he wouldn’t keep this up. The tone that came with Noel's harsh words, how just utterly bitter to blonde seemed to be; it was laughable in the cutest of ways.

“Don’t be like that,” Theo started, words stuttered out between choked back laughs. “Come on, I was just joking.” He figures Noel wouldn’t listen to him no matter what protests he made; so, he’d have to force the boy to forgive him as always. Quickly he swipes his finger against the accept button, silently pleased as he watches the normal, familiar screens appear before his eyes. Caritas. Noel. Just a few feet away from him, all upset and displeased by his antics.

A few strides forward was all it took to bring Theo next to Noel and, once there, he leaned against the angry boy at his side, nudging their arms together. “I know you wouldn’t leave me,” Theo chuckled, tilting his head in a way where he might be able to catch Noel’s eyes. “You love me too much to do that.” There’s a moment of silence between his words, his gaze leaving Noel to look forward in the direction they were headed towards. He had ultimately lost this round, something he’d come back to later on when their little game continued again at another time. But for now he’d need to bow his head in defeat and bring his friends mood back up. “I’m sorry, please don’t be upset.”

pushing noels buttons like so was an art, a skill theo was rather proud to say he's mastered within the time they’ve known each other. he likes to think that he’s the only person in this whole world that could get under the other's skin like so. maybe it was because this was his way of flirting; and thinking that just anyone could do what he does brought a strange feeling of jealousy to the mix of his emotions. however, sometimes (or rather, very often), theo takes things just a step too far. he enjoys winning these strange back-and-forth games they play, and because of that he can never seem to stop himself from crossing the invisible line that was noel's nerves. it was all in good fun, yet still theo hoped that noel wasn’t too upset with him for not dropping his little act sooner.

he hopes that his apology will be accepted.

theo doesn’t take his eyes off the forward path they walk until noel's voice rings in his ear, and from there his whole demeanor changes. stiff shoulders relax, falling back while his lips curl into a smile. he notices the slight hesitation in noel's voice as he begins to talk but, quickly, he pushes it aside, choosing to keep their interactions rather civil for the time being. after all, it was easier to tease his friend when he wasn’t running away from him.

“you act like i wouldn’t be doing all the talking already,” he states matter-of-factly to noel's comment. out of the two theo was the most social or at least the most willing to be. “but you know what, sure. i’ll make sure to do all the talking, and later when everything’s done i’ll treat you to a very special evening.” theo's voice is playful by the end of his sentence, a smile wide as he looks down at noel. “we can call it a date! dress you up in something nice. we’ll go out to a fancy restaurant and everything, how does that sound? maybe even take a walk in the park afterwards.”

his words, while occasionally sharp-tongued and taunting, was all in good fun. theo never once meant any harm, and while his stubbornness rivaled that of anyone he’d quickly humble himself when it came to noel’s happiness. to say that he was theo’s best friend was an understatement masking so much more. noel was his family and, in many ways, his first experience of a normal life. differences came in handfuls when comparing the two together. but it was a simple, mutual understanding that bonded them in a way theo could not find the words to describe; and oh, how he sought them out. his blatant flirtation was all he could manage and, very seldomly, theo could feel those lost words surface -- just barely breaking before disappearing in a haze of thoughts.

the scenery may have changed, their new “world” fake, but noel was the same no matter what went on around them. as the other seamlessly voiced his thoughts theos smile faded, faltering into something more guilty than it needed to be. hitting the nail on the head was an accurate way to describe how noel was able to pinpoint the ideas he’d casually pushed to the side a few moments ago. “well … the idea isn’t all bad,” he tries to protest, voice too low to even come close to being convincing. theo knows it too. he can hear how he sounds the moment the words leave his lips; and he’s too much of an open book with this to even try and hide his intentions.

but as noel moves in his grasp his grip loosens, allowing the boy to reach his hand out with ease. he knows it’s coming before noels fingers move to his cheek, pinching at his skin and retreating back before he could himself. a smile returning to his face, theo can only muster a small laugh, barely audible under his breath. he loved this kind of attention whether noel meant it to be affectionate or not.

while his teasing description of a date had originally been meant to rile the boy up theo would have held true to his end of the bargain. even when money was sparse and quests within the safe limits of the town dwindling, theo would find a way to treat noel to a night on the town and make an evening they’d both enjoy. however, with the newly voiced suggestion and the mention of noel cooking whatever they’d decide to eat, theo's mind quickly took a liking to the idea. it may not have been the cooking noel knew best, nor the definition of a home-cooked meal theo had grown to adore, but it was their version of familiarity within this strange world.

“oh come on, do you really think i would pass up a chance to eat anything you cook?” theo asked, voicing the same excitement noel had tried to hide when he spoke. “maybe i haven’t complimented you enough on your cooking to make you think i wouldn’t. is that it?”

words were difficult, lost within his mind so quickly that there are times he doubts the thoughts were ever present. there were many things he could not voice; things he couldn’t quite say in the way he wanted. but words never failed him when it came to showing noel just how amazing he was in his eyes, painting verbal images of his feelings and admiration with such ease it sometimes scared him. god had gifted him something he never knew existed until noel entered his life; and, after finding it out, never thought twice in using it.

“i know this is all just some crazy, messed up game and cooking isn’t exactly how it was back in reality … but i like to think you do something with whatever you make to have it taste better.” an open door had shown itself and, before noel could say anything, theo ran through; eager to shower noel in whatever compliment that came to mind. “i know it sounds crazy, but it’s true. there’s no other way around it.” his shoulder shrugs as he glances down at noel to smile. sooner or later his little rant of affection would end, noel quickly shutting him up in whichever way seemed best. so, he’d make the best of it while he had the chance. “plus … i know how much you like to cook, especially for me. i mean, we’re practically married so why wouldn’t you; and i absolutely adore seeing you do something you love so much.”

there’s a moment of silence as an image comes to mind. of noel standing in the kitchen of their small house, returning to finishing the meal theo had been banned from helping. it had happened too many times in the past, each incident a blur within others but cherished none the less. he missed it. “and,” he starts after a short time, “jokes aside … it kinda makes this feel like home.”

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