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[ Dion may be worried about his heart being heard, but Joshua worries about his own being felt. There's a clear flutter there, making his pulse pound firmly in a beat that is so strong it may very well give him away. But he won't remove his hand from Dion's for the world. His hand is warm in Joshua's own, and he would have it no other way.

If Dion wants to lead him to the door, though, he will certainly allow it. There will be time for him to lead once they get outside. ]

Fitting indeed. I really must thank you for your incredibly kind gift. What has garnered your interest in flowers suddenly?

[ It's said kindly, curiously. Dion doesn't seem the type for gardening, but the prospect of Dion doing this solely for him makes his head spin in a decidedly wonderful way. Or is it medicinal use, perhaps? He recalls hearing something about the flowers having mild healing properties when used on a wound. ]

[His steps briefly falter when Joshua speaks, but he rights himself quickly enough. He wonders if it's too soon to mention it. It's far from romantic, being in the middle of the inn. Not that digging in the dirt will be much better, but...

Focus. He tries his best to answer without a lie, stringing together a handful of half-truths to keep from stammering in his effort.]

You have done much for me over the last few weeks. I simply wanted to grant to you the same kindness and warmth that you have shared with me.

[That and he really wants to keep holding Joshua's hand. But that part can wait.]

[ A simple return of kindness. Yes, he supposes that could be it. Still, Joshua can't stop smiling, and the soft laugh that follows the words is filled with so much warmth and light that it's surprising it's soft at all. ]

And my brother told you my favorite flower, did he?

[ He knows at least that much, Dion. Not that Clive told him, but it's a reasonable guess. Clive is the only one that would know. ]

Not that I mind him telling, though, if he did. It is truly a kind gift. Thank you. I have not seen these flowers since I was but a boy of ten summers. I'd thought I would never see them again, to be honest.

[ He is... incredibly touched. Even if the gesture is only a friendly one, repaying the kindness he's given to Dion, it's meaningful nonetheless. ]

That he did. [There's a pause, one supplemented by a sheepish smile.] After some questioning on my part, perhaps. I wanted to be sure that my gesture was the right one. What good would it do, if I was not certain it would have an impact.

[It is exactly as Clive had said to him, then. He utters a silent prayer to Greagor herself that the sentiment of the gift had wound up being a positive one, rather than melancholy. After a moment of thought, he also prays for continued strength.]

When I learned that the local residents were capable of summoning gifts from home, I had a few ideas of what I wanted to ask for. But this seemed of the utmost importance.

[He reaches the door and uses his free hand to push it open, letting go of Joshua's hand solely to ensure he passes through without issue. Fear not, though, Dion quickly returns to his side and twines their fingers together once more.]

I believe here is where your pathfinding will be at its most useful. Trust that I will remain dutifully at your side.

Well, it has certainly had an impact, I can assure you.

[ The words come with a heartfelt smile, and he squeezes Dion's hand briefly, confidently. If Dion is this comfortable... perhaps today is the day that he can finally give in to asking his question. Perhaps. Not quite yet, though - they have flowers to plant. ]

I am honored to be the recipient of your first purchase, then, Dion. I know I could say that you didn't have to, but... It means a lot to me. It is a gift with so much thought put behind it.

[ So much thought. Dion is like him, a Dominant, broken free from the fate they had been bound to... But that helps Dion to see him as a person. Not as an Eikon. Even if he does refer to him and Clive as their Eikon names - that habit is charming in its own sort of way. But to not only appeal to something he would personally like, but go through the extra effort to find out...

Ah, but they're outside. Eager to get started and not dwell on the thoughts that he doesn't deserve to entertain yet, he tugs Dion along with some measure of excitement, headed toward the side yard of the inn. ]

Over here would work, I think. There should be a decent amount of sunlight over the course of the day. Oh, but we will need tools to plant, I suppose...

[The squeeze to his hand travels all the way to his heart. It skips once, then sends a wave of heat cascading up to Dion's cheeks. With one hand held within Joshua's, and with them so focused on their destination, he can't exactly turn away or cover it up. Instead, he bows his head, hoping the slight angle might help. It does little to obscure his smile, though.]

And not too far from the inn, either. No need for a terribly long walk to visit them, should your heart desire.

[When the reach the patch, Dion prepares to kneel in the dirt. He should have thought to bring a blanket, or a snack or - ]

Tools. [His heart falls. He had prepared everything so meticulously, only to forget the very things they needed to actually plant the seeds.] Ah, that... is an issue, isn't it?

[ Don't worry, Dion. Joshua is so focused on getting where he's going that he isn't taking the time to look back. It affords Dion some privacy, and... well. They are holding hands. It isn't like he has to be sure that Dion is following him. ]

Not far at all. In fact, if we do it right, I may be able to look out my window and see them.

[ Not an original part of the planting plan, but certainly beneficial!

Though, he can tell that Dion hadn't planned for this part. But that's all right. Joshua smiles anyway, letting his hand slip from Dion's in order to move to his hip, sliding the dagger there from it's sheath. ]

Not to worry. We can use this.

[ He kneels down, pressing the blade into the dirt and prying up a small hole. That's all they need, really. Nature will do the rest. ]

Like so. I could make the holes if you will plant the seeds?

[Dion's already in high spirits, but he seems to perk up all the more at the idea of Joshua peeking out every morning and seeing this gift. He feels a sense of pride swell up within his chest, never mind the continued gratitude he feels for Clive.]

Then here it shall be.

[He is damn near ready to trudge over to Heimr and ask him for a shovel but - no. Joshua is as smart as ever, and smartly begins digging in. Dion kneels down as he's told, gingerly sliding one seed in. The corner of his mouth twitches downward slightly as they work, though.]

These flowers are beloved to you, yes? Should you not be the one doing the planting? I do not mind taking on the more laborious task.

[ Hm? Joshua looks up at Dion, tipping his head. It's a curious look - it makes no real difference to him. They're being planted, and they will grow. But... ]

We are planting them together, are we not?

[ But, if it is important to Dion, he won't argue. He flips the dagger in his hand, handing it over by the blade with a smile. ]

After you, then.

We are. But I feel it should be your touch that guides the seeds.

[Maybe the sentiment is silly, but if they are so meaningful to Joshua, it feels only right that he be the one to lay them into the soil. Thankfully, he doesn't seem keen to argue, and Dion gladly takes the knife and sets to carefully cutting into the dirt.]

I've found that since arriving here, I have been doing my best to be deliberate in everything that I do. If words have intention and power, then so, to, do actions. It should be your love that goes into this soil, so that it is your love that makes it grow.

[ And as Dion carves out a hole, Joshua plants a seed inside of each one, patting the dirt back over it one by one with a gentle, caring touch.

Dion is right, though. If what they call the fallen god can give it power, perhaps the intention and love with which he plants these seeds can make them grow strong and bright. A softer, warmer smile touches his lips as he tucks them into the dirt. ]

You have the right of it, Dion. Then, these will surely grow to be beautiful flowers.

[ Both because he is planting them, and Dion is carving the earth for them. The love of two, because for Dion, he knows that this gift comes from a place of love, platonic or otherwise. ]

[Joshua, intentionally or no, seems to be on the right track. Dion hadn't meant to lead into this with his speech, only to express his intentions. But now that the words have been spoken into the air, he knows that this is the only moment in which he can act.

He glances down into a freshly filled hole, carefully spreads dirt back over it, and then looks back to Joshua's eyes.]

May I ask you something, then?

[The moment he starts, his heart leaps into his throat. It might have been better for both him and his nerves to launch into his speech now. Instead he waits. He'll get permission first, thank you.]

[ It's a rather mindless process, all told, with Dion digging a hole and Joshua filling it. He could do this mechanically without even really thinking about it, if he so chooses, but he won't let himself. He focuses his all on making sure each seed is placed carefully, lovingly, in the hopes that each one will be lucky enough to sprout.

And that concentration is why he doesn't notice, at first, that Dion is looking at him for a moment. He's busy pulling another seed from the sachet, but quickly realizes that Dion has not yet dug another hole. Those words bring his eyes up, and-- and he feels the shells of his ears flushing warm, suddenly quite aware of how close the two of them are in all of this. ]

Oh. Yes, of course. What is it?

[Greagor, they are close aren't they? He considers leaning back, but no. He shouldn't shy away in a moment like this. He meets Joshua's eyes, his own half-lidded and filled with a fondness he hasn't so boldly let himself entertain. He swallows once, trying to quell the pounding he feels in his very mouth, but fails miserably.]

Ah, well... I suppose it isn't much of a question, but a declaration. Or perhaps an offer? I know not the words to describe it, only how I feel.

[He tries to calm himself by drawing in a breath, but his words slip out quickly all the same.]

You are so bright, and warm. You are beautiful, and kind. You have listened to my greatest needs and pleas and met them with such grace. Anyone would be lucky to stand at your side as a friend, and yet I find myself greedy enough to ask for more. To be not your shield, but your lance. The one you may turn to in your darkest moments and find support.

I - [Another inhale, as he reaches into a pocket. He pulls out the silvery ear cuff, its color and luster a match to Dion's armor. It's tucked away in his inn at the moment, but the next time Dion chooses to wear it, Joshua will find some of its more elaborate ornamentation has been plucked away.] - Wish to ask you to be mine, selfish though it may be. Swift though my actions are. I know we have not had but a few weeks, perhaps a month in the grand scheme of it all, but I know my heart. And I know it yet yearns for you.

[ ... oh.

Whatever Joshua expected out of this day, it certainly wasn't this. While he was vaguely aware - thanks to Clive pointing it out to him - that Dion felt some sort of way about him, he couldn't have been certain that it was anything other than just the love of friends, really. Dion had mentioned someone important back at home, after all, and he had committed himself to waiting to ask even just for clarification, let alone any selfish reasons. Dion was fresh from their encounter with Ultima, and Founder knows it had taken him a good month or more to come to terms with everything that had happened.

And yet, here is Dion, offering him his hand. Freely, willingly, without Joshua even having a chance to ask whether he had someone at home or not. ]

Dion...

[ He feels, for a moment, as though he's been struck in the head. He feels vaguely dizzy with it all, despite being firmly on the ground, on his knees in the dirt. His eyes focus on the ear cuff, the metal looking so oddly familiar in a way he can't quite place, and his lips part just slightly. He's planned this. Planned all of this, right down to the flowers, the seeds, things that Joshua holds so dearly and hasn't seen since his childhood. This has taken no small amount of effort.

Oh, his ears burn and his cheeks feel warm, but his heart soars as the pieces click into place. The sachet of seeds drops from his fingers as they lose their grip, and he lifts one hand, dirt-streaked and only very slightly trembling, to touch the cuff in Dion's hand. Gently, barely, as though if he touches it too firmly it will crumble. ]

I-- Yes, Dion, of course. Founder, I thought that you had someone, I-- I wasn't about to assume--

[ Oh, Flames take him. He's always so good with words, and yet now, his tongue fails him. ]

[The stillness of the moment makes Dion begin to worry. To Doubt. He was so certain he had read the signs right, but now he can't say for certain if he has. He counts each heartbeat, willing himself to keep breathing. He thinks to pull his hand back, to bluster his way into an excuse or write his feelings off as a joke.

But he doesn't, and it pays off in the end. He sees the way those cheeks begin to warm. The seeds are dropped, and before Dion can worry, that hand is extended to him. It's okay. Joshua seems to feel the same and -

then he speaks. Dion's heart doesn't quite fall, because it's not a no. Still, he's left something critical out before his offer, and the guilt immediately comes flooding in. Not for his feelings, he's come to terms with that, but for not ensuring that Joshua knew his heart and his decisions.]

I - [He breathes in, trying to steady himself.] I will not pretend that I did not and do not love Terence. But he and I said our goodbyes, knowing that I would likely not return from the battle. Even still...

[He glances off into the distance, toward the bar.]

I spoke with a young man, Ezell. He told me that for him, love is not so easily divisible. That one can love two people with equal amount of ferocity. While I do not know if what I feel for you yet treads upon love, I know that my passion for you does not diminish when I think of him.

But, Ezell was quick to warn that it is not for everyone. And if you are not comfortable in the knowledge that my heart does have room for two, I understand.

[ Ah. Ezell. Joshua wasn't aware of Ezell's situation, but... If that's what Ezell feels, that love can be spread equally and you can love more than one person without dividing it...

Dion still loves Terence, despite having said goodbye. He cares about Jote, albeit not in the same manner, but... Is it really all that different from loving many different people platonically? He doesn't feel like it is. You can love many like family, and many like friends, so why not this way?

He pulls in a breath, keeping his hand resting on Dion's, loath to pull it away. ]

I care for you a great deal, Dion. That you have come to me today with this offer means more than I can put into words. But I do believe that the heart is capable of a great many things, and loving more than one does not seem so strange.

[ He has feelings for Dion. That much, he knows. And though Dion says he doesn't yet know if it is love, there are feelings there, too. Perhaps they are the same.

There's only one way to find out. ]

I would be glad to follow this road with you, to see where it may lead.

[The longer Joshua speaks, the more Dion begins to hope. He closes his hand carefully around the other man, tentative though the grip is. Should he decide, Joshua could easily pull back. He could deny Dion, and he would accept it with as much grace as he could muster.

But he doesn't have to. Joshua accepts his offer, and Dion swears he feels his heart sing. It feels as if Greagor herself has reached down and blessed him. Scarcely as he believes it, Dion finds himself blinking a few times just to ensure that his vision has not played tricks on him.

Joshua is still there, hand in his own. It is all so very real and

Dion has no idea what to say. His mouth, which he only just realizes has spread into a near grin, opens and closes. He feels helpless, but it isn't an altogether unpleasant feeling.]

I - should I thank you? [He lets out a timid laugh.] I have never done this properly. I know not what to do next.

[ It's... it's cute, honestly, seeing Dion like this. The grin, the timid little laugh, it all serves to make his heart flutter in his chest, and Joshua lets out a soft, delighted laugh in turn. ]

Neither have I. I haven't had the privilege of the security or the opportunity.

[ Not when you spend so much time with a group of people that deify you. His time with Clive and his group of outlaws at the Hideaway has been short, for all that he loves it. He has simply not had the chance to live like this, until here.

But he grips Dion's hand tightly, firmly. The cuff presses into his palm, and its solid weight reminds him that this is real, that Dion truly does want him. ]

May I kiss you?

[ The words are past his lips before he realizes it, but he doesn't even seem embarrassed by how bluntly he's spoken. The elation he feels is too great. ]

[Despite the high that has gripped Dion's heart, Joshua's words do produce a pang of sympathy. Dion's own circumstances had been difficult, but they had not been so limiting. He had been able to love, after all. It may not have ended particularly well, but he'd had the opportunity.

But he knows Joshua, knows that he would not want Dion to linger in this moment. Especially when their hands are pressed together, when he, too, can feel the weight of that cuff between them. His gift to Joshua, a symbol of his feelings. The past may have been grim, but at least there was the future.

A future that looks... very bright, if Joshua's words are anything to go off of. Dion's smile turns a little lopsided, a hint shy and a touch confident. He glances toward Joshua's lips, then back up to his eyes.]

You may. By all means.

[Honestly, he's already leaning in. Better hurry, Joshua.]

[ Is this what it feels like, to truly fall for someone? Joshua feels as though his heart is fit to burst from his chest. He laughs once more, soft and lilting. He can see Dion already beginning to lean in, and it's enough to embolden him into leaning in himself.

His free hand lifts, cupping the side of Dion's head in a gentle, shy sort of touch. He has no personal experience in this, but throughout his and Jote's travels, he has certainly been privy to seeing several stolen moments between lovers. He knows how it is supposed to go, in theory. In practice, well... there is no better way to learn than to do.

Joshua's eyes slip closed, and his lips brush against Dion's in a soft, experimental touch. He's so warm in contrast to the cool spring air, and it makes him want to lean closer, press more firmly. But not yet. Not while he is still soaking in the electric experience of this first touch, breathing in Dion's scent and basking in the comfortable warmth that radiates through his chest. ]

[For Dion, this isn't an entirely novel experience. That said, there is something to be said for the tension that has brewed between them, likely ever since the moment Joshua first entered his tent. Each touch sends a thrill cascading through Dion, to the degree that he swears the hairs on the nape of his neck stand on end.

He doesn't mind if Joshua's fingers might be smudged with dirt, same as Dion's own. He cares not for how unpracticed he may or may not feel. He has dreamed of this moment, wanted it even as he told himself not to. It is a blessing from Greagor herself, and he intends to cherish it.

The return touches are gentle, careful even. Here and there he shifts, a gentle nudge to a better position. It isn't judgemental or borne of irritation. His heart aches with the desire to tend to and nurture this little flame between them. He mirrors Joshua's touch in a way, except instead of laying his hand against the other man's cheek, he cards tenderly through his hair. It's just as soft as it had been the day he woke up in Joshua's bed.

As much as he would like to, Dion ultimately doesn't linger. He pulls back, settling instead with pressing their forehead's together. He breathes to same air as Joshua, tasting his breath with each intake of his own.]

I - forgot something. [His voice is light, almost sheepish. Once again, he finds himself rambling, lest he forget.] The cuff is enchanted. Should you ever find yourself in need, it shall protect you with Light no different than my own.

[ Though Dion may redirect from time to time, Joshua never once takes it the wrong way. He's aware Dion likely has more experience than he does, so he doesn't mind being led. Like a dance, it is something he will learn, but he is nothing if not a quick learner.

But this is everything he'd wanted it to be. Everything he'd hoped it would be. The warmth of their lips pressed together, the mingling of breath, the feel of Dion's hair beneath his fingers and Dion's fingers in his own. He could - and would - do this forever, if given the opportunity. But they both need to breathe, and so when Dion pulls back, he does not protest. He simply leans into the press of foreheads, letting out a shaky exhale as his thumb strokes the prince's hair.

And then laughs, softly, no more than a breath, as Dion explains the cuff further. ]

You truly do mean to be my lance, don't you.

[ With Clive as his Shield and Dion as his lance... he should last forever, he thinks. There is no more formidable trio than the three of them together. ]

Would you put it on for me?

If you would have me. [Dion's voice is low when he speaks, as if his very words were a secret only to be shared between the two of them. He meets Joshua's eyes through his own lashes, half-lidded though his gaze is. His hand remains twined within his hair, and he doesn't plan on moving it.

Or, well. He didn't. But placing the cuff on Joshua's ear is a far more important task. He leans back, separating their intertwined hands. He carefully dusts off any residual dirt from their efforts, before leaning forward once more. Joshua's hair is gently swept behind his ear, while Dion barely swallows the urge to press a kiss behind it. It's a far too intimate gesture for this moment, he thinks.

Instead, he opens the clasp up, then carefully fastens it into place. He thumbs over it once it's settled, observing the draconic imagery etched into it. Heimr had been right to suggest Sesa, it's a truly beautiful piece.]

It's material far better suits you than it ever did me.

I would. Gladly.

[It's said with so much warmth, so much adoration. Dion could have simply asked to court him, no gifts or romantic words needed, and yet here he is. Being courted in a way that he never would have dreamed. Even if his life had gone a different way, he would have been the Archduke, and it would have been him doing the courting.

Not that that won't be the case here, of course. Dion may be courting him, but he fully intends to court Dion in return, however it may look.

Joshua lets Dion move him however is needed to put the cuff on, though the gentle touch of fingertips against the shell of his ear is enough to make the hair on his arms stand on end. But he will ignore that for now, as the metal warmed by their clasped hands is affixed to him. The weight of it on his ear is familiar in a way he hasn't known for the past eighteen years, but all the same... it feels like home. It feels right.

He lifts his hand, pressing it against the back of Dion's, cupping that hand to his cheek as he does. ]

Oh? Was it yours?

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