hellonspectacles | (no subject)

After hours spent peering over blazers and scrutinizing the websites of wine bars in Darrow, after standing in front of the mirror ruffling his hair this way and that, after allowing Cam to first fuss over him, and then to grow tired of his fussing and telling him to get on with it already, Palamedes Sextus finally steps out of his apartment and walks the few blocks to a little cafe on the edge of Petros Park. Regardless of what anyone might tell him, he can’t contain his nerves, though they are overlaid with excitement that makes him walk more quickly towards his destination. It’s only a simple meal with Marianne, he tells himself, and they’ve shared plenty of meals before.

And yet it is more than that. He’s never done something like this before. He has never even thought much about doing something like this before. For Pal, whose heart might be even bigger than his intellect, and who has a bad habit of feeling everything a little more deeply than he should, it is something more.

He pauses about half a block from the restaurant, seeing a figure waiting outside who might very well be Marianne. Pal pauses and takes a breath, running his hand nervously through his hair one more time. And then he approaches her with a wave.

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"What encompasses 'a date like this'?" he asks, genuinely curious. The general idea of dating isn't foreign to him, but there are subtleties to it that he still hasn't entirely picked up on.

"A date like anything really," admits Marianne, her chin still leaned into her hand. "The kind of men I've been with haven't been that interested in taking me to dinner."

Whenever Marianne says something about the people she has dated in the past, she always speaks so matter-of-factly, as though it would be obvious that others would treat her as barely worth their time. It makes Palamedes heart hurt; it makes him want to ensure that she would never be hurt again. “Their loss,” he says, eyes gentle. “Because you’re an awfully good dinner companion.”

He's beautiful when he looks at her like that, and her cheeks flush in response. She smiles.

"Maybe I've just grown into myself," she says. This time, when she reaches out, it's his fingers that she brushes with hers.

Pal lets the ends of their fingers hook together, even though it makes him blush. Though not particularly self-conscious in general, he’s still surprised at how little he cares if other people think they look ridiculous. “Or maybe they weren’t worth your time, anyway. Either way, I got the better end of the bargain.”

It's not quite holding hands, but Marianne likes it, all the same. It feels like the start of something. "You really think so?"

"Yes, I really do," Pal says. It makes him a little sad, knowing how uncertain Marianne is of her own worth, and he remains determined to keep reminding her until she believes him. "You're quite clever, for one thing--which I know you know, so don't even pretend otherwise. You've given me stacks of book recommendations since we met. You're thoughtful and creative--need I go on?"

"You can stop," says Marianne, her face flushed, a smile still tugging at the corner of her mouth. Her fingers stay hooked with his. "But thank you. That was lovely."

“Only if you insist.” Palamedes has never had much compunction when it comes to complimenting people when he thinks they deserve it. Cam handles it with long-suffering disbelief; Dunclinea used to make fun of him. Never response has ever stopped him before, and Marianne’s blushing isn’t about to, either.

The waiter returns with their champagne, and Pal pulls back his hand back from Marianne’s so that he can set it down. “Do you know what you’d like to order for dinner?” he asks, and Pal smiles at Marianne.

“I think so. Marianne, what was it you suggested, again?”

Marianne tilts her head up to look at the waiter, suddenly a little bit more herself, a little bit more under control as she orders the two dishes that they'd talked about. When the waiter moves away, she looks down at her fingers linked with his.

"This is nice," she says. "Feels like it took us a while to get here, but I'm glad we did."