antipillar | Search 23

[Thinking… thinking… offhandedly stated. ]

We do have that video game system Umi gave us during Christmas.

Oh. We do.

[He'd forgotten about it.]

I don’t really know how it works or what kinds of games it has but it might be better than sitting around staring at each other.

[Reconsidering that statement as he turns back to look at Lantis. He was so handsome. Then again… just watching him for a while might be nice too. ]

Or at least you might get tired of me watching you all of the time.

[Eagle is always very good at saying just the right thing to fluster him and make him speechless.

Which he is now. Trying to find something to say in response.]

[Also fairly good about not giving him much recovery time as serious tone suddenly appears. ]

Lantis… There is something I have been meaning to ask you.
About our… [Friendship? Relationship? He settled on a more clinical term. ] … association. What do you think about it?

[That's...a good question there. He becomes more serious with the moment.]

It's hard to tell. I think we both want more but we keep hesitating because of our world.

[See? He's been paying attention.]

[And he perfectly described the situation! ]

Maybe that is something we will never be able to work around. [Atypical pessimistic statement.]

I don’t know if either of us are really capable of forgetting everything just because we are in this City.

We're capable. Perhaps we choose not to be.

[He's sure that applies well to them both. Looking down at the dish, he falls silent a moment.]

What do you think about it?

[Deeply considered response. ]

I think we are both too stubborn.

[He felt a bit guilty and defeated admitting this but… ]

When I first arrived here I wanted nothing more than to be able to leave as soon as possible, but now… [Unforgivable really, when one sacrifice could save so many lives. ] … I actually find myself wishing I had never heard of the Pillar system.

[Earth shattering HUGE revelation from Eagle. ]

[He looks up, startled by that confession.]

You do?

[It actually seems impossible.]

[Being confessed to, finding out there are options he never thought were possible and not having the threat of certain death spurring him on to die in the way he chose instead of by the illness…
All of these changes had happened so suddenly in the past few months but with these things Eagle found himself considering other alternatives. Was the City really such a bad place?]

Is that horrible?
I actually wonder if staying here isn’t the best decision.

I've wondered if we could stay here.

[He really has. Eagle is free here and there's the chance they can find a cure for his illness. And they can live together as well.]

You have?

[That was pretty surprising as well! ]

I thought you weren’t doing you best to find a way to leave but…

I was. Until you said you loved me...

[OH!

Stated as bluntly as that was a little embarrassing! Which leads to Eagle trying to cover that reaction with a bit of a laugh. It was either that or blush. ]

If I had known it was so easy to change your mind maybe I should have said so earlier.

I knew you meant it and that it wasn't just a strategy.

Even if I had attempted it as a strategy it still would have been true. I developed this crush on you back on Autozam, when we first met actually.

[Yes, defeats in mecha tournaments have that effect on him! ]

Not everyone would feel that way about being defeated.

[He's just noting that.]

[You Sir… ]

Rubbing in a defeat is not very kind at all.

[But, he cant help it. It was a unique encounter and he didn’t mind losing occasionally… when the situation was unexpected… and the opponent was a cute guy… ]

I wasn't rubbing it in.

[He wasn't really. He doesn't think he was anyways.]

Taking things so seriously again!

[Anyway, his true question was still fairly unanswered. ]

After everything we said what is our situation? Are we dating… or maybe there is a Cephirian word that fits the situation better?

Would you say yes if I asked you to date me?

[The word is strange but he at least knows what it means.]

[It is a strange Earth term. Eagle would agree with that.]

I think I would.

Really?

[He actually sounds hopeful.]

Did you think I would say no?

[So cute when he is being silly. ]

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