The fact that Declan didn’t quite catch what Aoba meant made him wonder another thing, which in turn became an assumption: Guardians probably didn’t celebrate birthdays, or rebirthdays, the way ordinary people did. So showing up that one month and eighteen days ago—basically the same time Aoba hit his first portal, if the timelines were perfectly parallel—wouldn’t have been anything of peculiar timing.
Which then made him think, what, did he really want to construe himself as some kind of gift? Except Declan had said it first and more than a few times already, just in different words….
But wait, hold on. What was he—was he really? Yes he was. He was floating in zero G like he was on a chair. Like he was a client lined up for Koujaku’s roaming haircutting services. So should Aoba take on the role of stylist?
Oh why the hell not. Although Aoba had to chuff a laugh again for the absurdity of it all, it was comfortable again, and he pulled his way closer with the various handrails until he found another place to hook a leg and hover close enough, himself.
“Well I’m not sure I’m the best person to ask, but since you are asking me, I’d say….” He carefully brought a hand up, catching that main fall of Declan’s bangs between second and third finger to delicately lift it aside. “Well, you could keep the same style but just trim it back more, although you’d have to maintain it more often if you did. And if you wanted to be really drastic, you could probably get away with-”
Aoba finger-combed, then. Still very carefully, as used to the sensitivity of his own hair as he was, but he brushed back all of Declan’s hair from his face to reveal it in full. Glowing eyes, alabaster skin…and had Aoba really ever taken note of the way it seemed to shimmer, before? It was opalescent but still alive, still warm skin.
“You have really striking features, you know?” Aoba managed to say without any inwards squirming, just giving an honest opinion as had been asked for. “Ghost said you’re—” Wait. Abort. Restart. “I mean, have you ever seen pictures of any of those really old marble statues? Greek or Roman or something like that? You look like you could be one, just up and living.”
Was that a weird comparison? It was probably a weird comparison. But Ghost had pretty strongly implied he was originally Roman, Aoba thought, and the man just looked…statuesque. He definitely didn’t need to hide behind his hair, if that’s what he was doing.
no subject
Which then made him think, what, did he really want to construe himself as some kind of gift? Except Declan had said it first and more than a few times already, just in different words….
But wait, hold on. What was he—was he really? Yes he was. He was floating in zero G like he was on a chair. Like he was a client lined up for Koujaku’s roaming haircutting services. So should Aoba take on the role of stylist?
Oh why the hell not. Although Aoba had to chuff a laugh again for the absurdity of it all, it was comfortable again, and he pulled his way closer with the various handrails until he found another place to hook a leg and hover close enough, himself.
“Well I’m not sure I’m the best person to ask, but since you are asking me, I’d say….” He carefully brought a hand up, catching that main fall of Declan’s bangs between second and third finger to delicately lift it aside. “Well, you could keep the same style but just trim it back more, although you’d have to maintain it more often if you did. And if you wanted to be really drastic, you could probably get away with-”
Aoba finger-combed, then. Still very carefully, as used to the sensitivity of his own hair as he was, but he brushed back all of Declan’s hair from his face to reveal it in full. Glowing eyes, alabaster skin…and had Aoba really ever taken note of the way it seemed to shimmer, before? It was opalescent but still alive, still warm skin.
“You have really striking features, you know?” Aoba managed to say without any inwards squirming, just giving an honest opinion as had been asked for. “Ghost said you’re—” Wait. Abort. Restart. “I mean, have you ever seen pictures of any of those really old marble statues? Greek or Roman or something like that? You look like you could be one, just up and living.”
Was that a weird comparison? It was probably a weird comparison. But Ghost had pretty strongly implied he was originally Roman, Aoba thought, and the man just looked…statuesque. He definitely didn’t need to hide behind his hair, if that’s what he was doing.