#laios sees how frustrated he looks and offers to help

[bitternanami]

something i think is really interesting about dungeon meshi is the cast's respective views on food as the story progresses. the way many adventurers get through the dungeon is to eat when they Must, but mostly rely on healing magic to keep going when they're tired or beaten down. death is something you can buy your way out of, here.

having these lower stakes when it comes to running yourself too hard has made a lot of people in this setting kind of devalue food and what it does for you.

im not all the way through the manga yet, but so far i really like how it goes about debunking that mindset.

long post under the cut, cw explicit discussion of disordered eating. textual depiction of unhealthy methods of dealing with it. please be cautious!

it seems like to most folks, food is either a decadent luxury, like when the governor offers mr tance a feast as a show of power and wealth, (although he is the only one who actually eats in that scene as he talks about his ambitions);

[id: the governor and mr. tance talk politics and hierarchies, while the governor eats from a bowl. mr. tance's meal is not visible behind a speech bubble.

"so you believe the sorceror is an elf?" he asks.

"i can't say with absolute certainty," mr. tance replies, "but the spells are not ones dwarves and humans typically use." /end id]

like the painted-royal feasts laios tries to partake in that never actually nourish him...

[id: laios, fresh out of the living painting feast, surprisedly holding his grumbling stomach /end id]

or, to the working class, it's pretty much exclusively fuel. i'm thinking about the scene where kabru's party, ostensibly intended to be our view into how adventuring Typically goes for most people, is shown preparing to go to the dungeon by like. walking up to someone and ordering 'a weeks' worth of rations.' purely functional.

[id: kabru enters a store, and the merchant says "welcome!"

kabru says "i need a week's worth of rations for six, and two days' worth of water."

"sure thing." the merchant then reaches behind him and grabs a large cube-shaped package, wrapped in nondescript cloth and tied in place. it thumps onto the counter in front of them both. /end id]

when kabru hands mickbell his food for the trip, he complains about how heavy it is on his back. it's a necessary liability.

we also see chilchuck, in an early chapter where there isn't much food to go around, grumbling about how he used to be better at not noticing when he was hungry. he's frustrated that he's more attuned to his bodily needs, now that he's starting to fill them with regularity.

[id: chilchuck, the only one awake, sits in his bedroll and glares at the timekeeping-candle burning down in front of him while he listens to his stomach growl. moving to find his canteen and fill himself with water instead, he thinks to himself, "my stomach has gotten weaker. i used to be able to go two days without food." /end id]

(like im not even gonna lie this is a big mood. the healing process is really really annoying)

even laios, early on, working out the logistics of going back for falin, considers his expenses and ultimately the thing he decides to save money on is their food supply. like, even the guy most invested in eating as an experience kind of just assumes he will Figure It Out. its what hes eating, not how hes eating it that matters to him at that point.

[id: marcille looks down at the ingredients they've gathered, the walking mushroom and the scorpion in an unappetizing heap on the ground, and asks laios "so how exactly do we eat them?"

he responds "let's just cook them, like normal." /end id]

but its here that senshi introduces the idea of food as art and as healing. its exciting and its fascinating for laios, getting to taste the creatures hes been reading about and fighting, but i dont think it would ever really help him feel full if not for this.

[id: three panels of laios tasting the scorpion hotpot, looking stunned, and then excitedly telling senshi "delicious!"

senshi matches his energy, asking "isn't it? isn't it?" /end id]

pictured: guy who had resigned himself to kind of just doing his best rediscovers the joy in something tasting really fucking good

what they did last time isnt going to work. falin is gone, and constantly anesthetizing their pain and healing through their weakness is no longer a realistic option for the party. in order to make it through they must all relearn how to eat well, one by one and as a group over and over again, because its either that or nothing.

one of my favorite depictions of this idea thus far is when marcille is seriously low on health and mana, and both of these problems are mitigated by taking care of herself, and trying to get iron and protein

[id: marcille, looking sickly, wakes to laios saying, "marcille, marcille, can you sit up? we've got something nice for you."

she watches senshi grill pieces of kelpie liver on a low fire, while laios ties a bib around her neck. /end id]

and drinking a bunch of dead water spirits. she gets the idea, she's supposed to get in nutrients and it'll help her feel better, but in aiming for the quick, inefficient fix, namely chugging that shit down like she heard it was good to Stay Hydrated and decided that would be the thing that fixes her,

[id: marcille throws back a cup of boiled undine-water, her face red. laios asks, "do you really need to drink it that fast?"

she gasps out "...the magical energy stored in nature spirits is actually quite hard to absorb. even if you drink a lot, the majority of it is excreted without being absorbed," and takes another drink. "that's why i need to drink as much as i can."

laios says weakly "you'll get water poisoning," but marcille only stops when senshi puts a hand on her shoulder and says,

"it's easier to absorb nutrients if ye digest them with food. that's a fundamental rule of nutrition."

marcille says, "senshi..." contemplative

and he holds out a bowl of tentuclus and a thumbs up. "let's get cooking!" /end id]

she doesn't immediately realize the answer is that she needs more than that. she's been working hard. she needs care, and she needs nourishment.

once she gets that, though, she makes her boiled water into a stew, and she works to make that stew as good as she can, and everyone can have some.

because in dungeon meshi, to feed yourself or allow yourself to be fed is treated as performing a kindness for yourself. food is what propels you, but there is also an art and a joy inherent to the process of making it; in the way you feel when you've had enough to eat.

[id: senshi watches as chilchuck and marcille eat and excitedly hash out plans.

"i've got a good feeling about this! maybe it'll work out!" chilchuck says

marcille responds, "well it's easier to feel optimistic on a full stomach!"

senshi smiles, proud. /end id]

^^^ i want to put this image on my wall

when you're working through disordered eating habits, you really do have to keep learning this shit. (in my experience, learning about cooking is one of the best ways to do so.)

i'll have to see if my thesis holds up as i continue, but i think one of the reasons the portrayal here resonates with me so hard is that ryoko kui puts most of her characters at eye level with me on this. they're all working at it, too. the text and i are both commiserating, and encouraging each other, 'have some more, you'll feel better.'

[marmorafarms]

My King

Pairing: Labru (Laios/Kabru)

Rating: Mature for sexual situations

Summary: Laios is concerned about potentially getting married, as he has no idea how to even kiss! Maybe Kabru will be willing to teach him a thing or two. Fic is a gift for @wasabi-gumdrop

A/N: The name "Modern Standard Elvish" is a play on "Modern Standard Arabic." The difference between "hot" and "horny" is in reference to the Spanish word caliente. Also, Kabru is trans in this fic!

You can find the fic on ao3 or read below!

___

Night was falling, but Kabru was still awake, pouring over the latest letters sent from the Elves. As he was fluent in Elvish, Kabru was able to read through the letters and translate them for Laios to read. Marcille had offered to help, but unfortunately she knew Modern Standard Elvish and wasn’t familiar with regional sayings and phrases.

“But it’s all the same language!” Marcille had burst out as Kabru tried to explain the differences between the regions.

“True,” Kabru said, “But differences arise, and different slang and turns of phrases come about. And you almost made a horrible mistake, Marcille.”

“How was I supposed to know that this is slang for ‘horny’ where the Queen lives?” Marcille said, frustrated. “I was taught it means ‘hot’ like temperature!”

“And it does,” Kabru said calmly, “But in this region, it’s more commonly used as slang for horny. There’s a different word they use for hot.”

Marcille had left the translations and letter writing to Kabru ever since then. So here he was, nose deep in his work, laser focused on his task. So when the door slammed open, Kabru jumped a mile into the air. He whipped around to see who had caused the disruption, fully ready to snap at whoever it was. But when he saw who it was, his anger melted away and turned into concern.

In his doorway stood Laios, his cloak lopsided and eyes wide with panic. He was breathing heavily, highly alarming Kabru. Was he drunk? No, that’s not how drunk people acted. Did Fleki leave her drugs here? Had he thought they were regular mushrooms? No, she usually passed out when she got high. So what was going on?

“Kabru!” Laios finally said, and stood up straight. “I need help!”

“With what?” Kabru asked. “Are you okay?”

“No,” Laios grumbled. “I’m not.”

There was something about his tone though. He didn’t sound as though something was truly wrong. He sounded like a child being told they needed to do a task that they really didn’t want to do. What was Laios trying to get out of this time?

“What’s going on?”

“Yaad says I have to get married,” Laios said frantically. “He said that it’s important that I have a queen.”

A flicker of annoyance sparked in Kabru’s chest, but he did his best to ignore it. “And what’s the issue?”

“What’s the—Kabru! You know I don’t want to get married!” Laios said. “We’ve been over this!”

Laios wasn’t lying, the discussion of him potentially getting married had been brought up more than once. Laios had shot the idea down each and every time. He had been engaged once before and wasn’t interested in doing that again.

“It’s just not for me,” Laios had said, so everyone had sighed and decided to leave it be. But it seemed as though Yaad was really putting the pressure on this time.

“You never said why don’t want to get married,” Kabru said. “There are plenty of women out there who would be great candidates. Wasn’t Marcille your succubus once?”

Laios turned bright red. “Don’t bring that up!” he said, looking away from Kabru. “I told you that in confidence, nobody else can know!”

“And they won’t,” Kabru said. “I just think that it’s interesting that no woman seems good enough. Is it maybe that no woman is good enough? That maybe you’d rather someone else?”

Laios blinked in confusion. “What?” he asked, and Kabru’s lips twitched in amusement. Laios was always a bit slow on the uptake.

“Do you want a man?” Kabru asked.

“Oh!” Laios said, and for some reason looked slightly uncomfortable.

“Um, I don’t know,” he said. “I’ve never thought about that before. Is that allowed?”

“You’re the king,” Kabru pointed out, “You can decide. And you can also decide to tell Yaad that you don’t want to get married.”

“It’s not that easy!” Laios said, and began pacing the floor. “The way he seems so…so terrified when he thinks about the future of the kingdom! He really seems to think I need to get married, and it’s just so hard to say no!”

“You know,” Kabru said slowly, “You should really tell me why you don’t want to get married. What’s the real reason?” Laios stopped pacing and turned to look at Kabru, his face suddenly bright.

“Yes!” he said in a weirdly cheery voice. “That’s actually why I wanted to talk to you!”

“Oh?” Kabru asked. Laios nodded.

“You see, Yaad keeps talking about babies. And well…I wouldn’t really know where to begin with making one. I mean, I know how, but I don’t know what to do. I’ve never even kissed anyone!”

“I. You. Wait hold on,” Kabru said, pinching the bridge of his nose,

“You want me to give you sex lessons?”

“Well I mean you’ve been with a ton of girls,” Laios said. “I thought you’d be the right! I thought about waiting and writing to Chilchuck but that would take way too long! Will you tell me what to do?”

“Laios,” Kabru said, trying to keep his voice steady, “I can tell you how to kiss someone and how to make them feel good in bed, but it’s something you have to just…do.”

“Oh,” Laios said, face falling. “So you can’t teach me.”

“I didn’t say that,” Kabru said, heart beating fast.

Laios cocked his head to the side like a confused puppy, and Kabru cleared his throat. “I could show you.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Kabru wanted to snatch them up and shove them back down his throat. There was absolutely no way he could do this! He couldn’t just…just fuck Laios! Not only was he his friend, he was the king! This was twelve kinds of not okay, and yet…here he was. Offering.

“You want to…?” Laios started, and Kabru quickly cut across him.

“Only if you want to, and it would just be kissing,” he said. “Practice makes perfect, right? And you’ve got to learn the basics. With most people, they start of with just kissing. So…that’s where we’ll start,”

Kabru said, and stood up from his chair. “Now. Do you want to?”

Laios stared at him for a moment before slowly nodding.

“Sure,” he said, and Kabru frowned.

“That’s not what I’m looking for Laios,” he said, his voice dropping a few octaves. He walked over to Laios and put his hand on large expanse of his chest. “Tell me, do you want this? Yes or no?”

“Yes,” Laios said in a breathy tone, and Kabru nodded.

“Let’s go to your room,” he said, “People probably won’t interrupt us there, you’re the king after all.”

“Oh, right. I hadn’t thought of that,” he said, and Kabru shook his head. Of course he hadn’t. Had he really expected Kabru to rail him in the study?

But they weren’t doing that, Kabru reminded himself. It was kissing, and only kissing. They weren’t going to go further, no.

At first the two walked slowly down the hall, trying to be cool and casual. But it didn’t take long before they were walking at a brisk pace, practically racing each other to Laios’ room.

Kabru had wanted this for a while, and everyone in the castle knew. Everyone except Laios, that is. According to Marcille, his feelings were extremely obvious, and Kabru hated that. He was usually so good at keeping a facade. At first he had brushed Marcille off, but it was Falin who really made him realize that yes, his feelings were obvious.

“Why do you keep looking at my brother with sad cow eyes?” she had asked one day.

“With what?” Kabru asked, throughly confused.

“Our cows back home used to have this look on their eyes…kind of sad almost…big beautiful eyes just staring at you. When you look at my brother, you look like them. Your eyes get all big and…sad? No…not sad. I’m not really sure. It’s just odd, that’s all,” Falin had said with a shrug, and Kabru was frozen in his tracks.

So yes, Kabru was excited for this moment. But was Laios really okay with it? He had said he was but Kabru still had his doubts. He would need to make absolutely sure. They entered the room, and walked towards the opulent four poster bed, and sat down on it. Laios was loose and casual, and Kabru couldn’t understand it. Shouldn’t he be nervous?

“So what do we do?” Laios asked.

“Well first take the cloak off,” Kabru said, and Laios complied. It was big and bulky and would just get in the way. He gulped as he looked down and Laios’ chest. The bigger man had bulked up a bit since they first met. He worked hard to maintain his original physique, but he still had decent meat on his bones. Laios’ shirt could barely contain his barrel chest, the buttons fighting to stay closed. Kabru would have to put in an order for the tailor to come and refit him for clothing.

“Okay, so…it might be easier if I start, okay? And then you can kiss me back,” Kabru said, voice shaking. Laios nodded, and Kabru slid over.

“Close your eyes,” he whispered, cupping Laios’ cheek softly. His friend complied, his lashes like beautiful dark fans as they fluttered shut. He looked so trusting, and Kabru couldn’t help but wonder if this was really okay. But he couldn’t keep Laios waiting…

Kabru leaned in closer, his lips gently brushing against Laios’. But something was off.

“You’re too stiff,” Kabru said. “When my lips touch yours, press yours against mine.” Laios nodded, and Kabru tried again. This time, Laios kissed back and oh. Kabru didn’t know what he was expecting, but he wasn’t expecting such tenderness, such care. He expected awkward fumbling, perhaps Laios trying to use his tongue and being clumsy about it. The soft sound of lips on lips filled the air, and finally Kabru broke away.

“Now your turn,” Kabru said. Laios frowned, his cheeks pink.

“My turn?”

“You kiss me,” Kabru said, but Laios’ frown only deepened.

“I thought I was?” he said, and Kabru laughed lightly.

“No, I mean you start,” he clarified. “Show me how you’d kiss your queen.”

Laios nodded, but this time it wasn’t soft and gentle. It was like a match being lit, flame bursting before them. Laios sometimes took a second to pick up on things, but when he did, he threw himself into it. And he really was throwing himself into it. Their kisses grew deeper, more needy. They were desperate kisses, and Laios was kissing Kabru like he’d never get to kiss anyone ever again.

“Was that okay?” Laios said, breaking away. Kabru wanted to pull him back in, and kiss him more and tell him to never stop.

“More than okay,” Kabru said hoarsely, and Laios beamed at him. “But I got more to teach you. There’s another thing…kind of a kiss…it’s called a hickey.”

“I know what a hickey is,” Laios said. “You just suck and bite a little, right?”

“Yeah. Do you want one? Do you want to see how your queen will feel when you give her one?”

Laios nodded, and Kabru felt a little bad. He was indulging himself in his desires, but fuck did Laios seem to be enjoying it. Kabru pushed Laios down on the bed, crawling on top of him. And oh wow, Laios definitely was enjoying himself, because Kabru could feel his friend’s bulge pressing against him. Pure lust began to pool in between Kabru’s legs, and he tried to calm himself. They weren’t going to go all the way. Just kissing, that’s it.

But as Kabru began to kiss and nip at Laios’ lips, he found his hips instictively grinding downwards. A deep groan issued from Laios’ throat, and Kabru swore.

“Is something wrong?” Laios asked.

“You’re just…you’re so hot,” Kabru said, and began kissing at Laios’ jaw. “You’re so hot, so sexy. You’re gonna make someone very happy, my king.”

At those words, Laios let out a whimper, and Kabru internally raised a brow. Did Laios like being called that? He peppered Laios’ neck with kisses, continuing to grind down against Laios’ clothed cock. Finally, he moved down to Laios’ collarbone, and bit him gently before sucking hard.

“Fuck!” Laios shouted, and Kabru released him. But as he did, he realized something. Laios didn’t feel as hard anymore. And then it clicked.

“Did you just…?”

“I’m sorry!” Laios said, covering his face with his hands, bright red. Kabru sat up, a small smile on his face.

“Hey. You don’t have to hide.”

Laios peeked at Kabru from in between his fingers and gulped. “I shouldn’t have…you know…just from that,” he whispered. “Isn’t it bad? To be so fast?”

“Maybe we can try that again,” Kabru said, voice deep and dripping with honey. “We can get your stamina up. With lots and lots of practice.”

Laios laughed, and pulled Kabru back down. They nuzzled noses and began to kiss again. Kabru knew this couldn’t last. But for now, he’d indulge himself. For now, he’d allow himself to be happy.

[danganphobia]

Laishuro College AU prompt, and notes:

-first note, we’ve seen in casual doodles in the adventurer’s Bible that Toshiro seems to have an eye/interest for art and aesthetics. My gf for this AU is that he knows how to draw people and plants pretty well, but not animals or buildings. -second note, I’m using a chuck of Lokh’s own college AU idea where Laios is actually a online, novel writer on the side.

Toshiro, less interested in the DM campaign than he is staring at his surroundings, especially when said sessions took place at the old Touden House, he’s always looking around at the family pictures and nicknacks. Half-hoping he’d eventually see Falin’s childhood room, though having the sessions there was as rare enough.

So Toshiro isn’t super happy when the opportunity of exploring the home does arise, it’s to help Laios with his part of their assignment. When Toshiro looks around (reluctantly) Laios’ room, he notices all the bugs inside frames, and shelves full of animal parts like feathers and bones. So much so that even Laios notices Toshiro is distracted, and so he shows Toshiro his rarest souvenirs from going around the forest as a kid.

Toshiro is shaken to see a feather with similar patterns and colors as it was described in one of his favorite indie novels. Inside a rusty lunch box was also a few rocks and ores, but that feather stood out. Laios puts it all away before Toshiro can form the right question, a part of him also thinking it could just be a coincidence. The seed has been planted though, and so he can’t help but seeing the other similarities in Laios and the descriptions in the novel. Even notices his style of narration whenever they have a DM session after that.

Just a slow burn of Toshiro connecting dots and felling super frustrated yet enamored by the similarities, while planing to find a way to figure it out without anyone, especially Kabru (bc he would eventually just make fun of him anyways lol) finding out. So he has no other choice… Toshiro is going to have to get Laios all alone to confirm his suspicions and perhaps even… Admit his admiration for Laios work. If that’s all he’s found himself to enjoy about Laios that’s is.

This got my brain juices going. Drabble under the cut.

It never felt like it was the right moment to catch Laios. It was only fair, he was a busy guy outside of club meetings. So, Toshiro decided to do things the old-fashioned way.

When the class they shared together ended, he turned to Laios, opening his mouth to speak, but then he was bombarded by their peers sitting nearby in the neighboring rows.

Realizing that it was yet again not a good time, Toshiro stood from his chair and grabbed his things, leaving the classroom. As students flooded out of the door, someone else came rushing after him.

"Hey! Toshiro!"

Startled by his name being called, Toshiro turned around, meeting with Laios face-to-face again.

"Sorry it took me so long," he panted, catching his breath. "Did you wanna talk to me about something?"

Feeling put on the spot, Toshiro wanted to flee. Then he remembered, he needed to speak to Laios for a reason; a really good one. But he needed more time to gather his bearings about this.

"Can you meet me at the restaurant later tonight?" Club sessions weren't tonight due to everyone's schedules being packed, so they'd have a table to themselves.

"Sure!" Laios nodded. Another friend of his presumably called after him, catching his attention, but he made sure to properly say goodbye to Toshiro first.

Then, it was back to being invisible again.

Later, Laios met him at the restaurant as promised. He was on time, which wasn't unusual, but Toshiro was expecting him to postpone because something had come up.

Toshiro just had a coffee, because he had assignments he preferred to stay up late completing after this. He let Laios order whatever he wanted, though. He even offered to share some of his food with Toshiro, one of which was a gigantic plate of french fries.

Toshiro gave into trying just one, dipping it into the glob of ketchup on the side of the plate. It was incredibly salty, but it tasted incredible.

"Good, right?" Laios grinned. Toshiro smiled back. Okay, here goes nothing...

When Toshiro vouched to change the subject, Laios picked up another fry. "Try another!"

Seeing Laios dangle the salty fry at his face, Toshiro took it from him, taking a bite. Laios' smiled brightly, and then he began to talk to Toshiro about plans for their next campaign.

It was impossible to get Laios to stop when he was on a passionate tangent, so Toshiro let him. He paid for their check, insisting it was his treat and not Laios', and then they left the restaurant. Thankfully, judging by the silence, Laios must've run out of steam.

"Laios," Toshiro began, ignoring his racing heart as he continued. "Do you... do you remember when you showed me your collection at your house?"

Laios perked up. "Oh. Yeah, I do. Why?"

Toshiro stopped walking. Laios stopped a few steps ahead of him, noticing Toshiro wasn't moving anymore.

"That feather I saw in your lunch box," Toshiro said after, "I noticed, that it was also mentioned in one of your novels..."

Laios was quiet for some time, making Toshiro panic, wondering if he said the wrong thing. Then, he heard a chuckle come from the other man.

"So," he started, hands in his pockets as he approached Toshiro. "I'm guessing you figured it out, huh?"

Toshiro could only blink in utter confusion. "What?"

"I thought I was being subtle, well, kinda." Laios said with a bashful smile on his lips.

"I don't-" Toshiro shook his head, frowning. "Understand..."

"You basically just told me you read my novels, only someone that does would know this at all," Laios said, being more direct this time. "I haven't shown anyone other than Falin that feather."

This must mean Laios wanted to show him his collection, just Toshiro, and only him.

"Are you serious?"

Laios laughed, ruffling the back of his head. "Yeah. Y'know, it really makes me happy knowing you like my work."

Toshiro walked past him, pink coloring his pale cheeks, and it wasn't from the cold weather.

"Wait, Toshiro! Where are you going?!" Laios chased after him.

"Far away from you." Toshiro muttered.

"Just hold on a second!" Laios grabbed his arm, shifting in front of him on his feet. "I'm not trying to make fun of you about it!"

"The similarities between you and your writing made me feel like I've gone insane, and I've been keeping this in for weeks and weeks without saying a word about it," Toshiro confessed. When he saw that Laios wasn't reacting, he came to a disturbing conclusion. "How long have you known?"

"Hmm..." Laios hummed, taking his hand off Toshiro's arm. "I just had a feeling, I guess? Besides, you were kind of acting off since then. At first I thought you were freaked out, but that can't be the case. Then there was the possibility you knew about my work. I didn't want to ask you outright. I thought it was a stretch, so I was hoping you'd come to me about it."

There was no reason to try to fight this. Laios had him cornered.

"I'd have to admit, you are a remarkable writer," Toshiro said begrudgingly. "You and your protagonists have some things in common. Brash, insatiable, oblivious, surprisingly perceptive to other's emotions." And those just happened to be the traits that drew Toshiro to Laios in the first place. "But their resolve..." Laios stared at him intensely as he continued, hoping he could ignore his nerves, "is nothing like I've ever seen, I can't believe I'm saying this, I feel as if if they keep going on they could rule the world someday and succeed."

Laios' smile was warm, hearing Toshiro's feedback. "Yeah?"

He was suddenly closer than before, close enough for their lips to touch if he had taken another step.

"Yes." Toshiro whispered, a breath away from feeling Laios' lips on his, a hand on his chest, tilting his head up slightly.

Just as Laios was about to grant that wish, stirring Toshiro's gut, he snapped out of it last minute, stepping away.

"I should, uh, get home-" Toshiro blurted, eyes darting from Laios.

"Oh," Laios coughed, covering his mouth with his palm. "Okay. Sorry, I know you have an exam tomorrow morning. Can I walk you home?"

Toshiro waved his hand. "You don't have to do that-"

"Please." Laios begged, coming closer again. Toshiro stumbled back, because if he were in the same position as he were in before he was going to do something he'd regret in the morning. "Can I?"

Laios was just walking him home - an innocent gesture of kindness he'd been doing for some time now. It shouldn't mean anything, should it? He practically confessed that he idolized Toshiro and how happy it made him to know Toshiro was a reader of his novels. It was sure to affect their relationship in some capacity; but maybe if they pretended otherwise, it wouldn't make things weird between them.

Toshiro nodded. When he walked, he slowed his pace for Laios to catch up. Somehow, their arms couldn't stop brushing on the entire walk back, but neither of them could bring themselves to look at each other, far too embarrassed to.

Who were they kidding, they couldn't be subtle about their feelings on the situation to save their lives.