Seen and Unforseen (Michael/Dare)

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael was left momentarily speechless, and when words finally came it was in a hurt rush, not giving him time to think about them before they were out. "How dare you think that I would look at you like that?" he asked, then caught himself and looked away. He knew the look Dare was talking about, it was the same look that Michael had once used, the one he had seen so often on Emilian's face when they were younger. "Sorry, I just..." he took a breath and backtracked.

"I would never do that. I..." he trailed off and shifted, "I like you too much." He looked up at Dare, the smallest of smiles pulling up the corner of his lips. "Like I said, I don't expect you to know it all, and yes, you'll probably say or do some stuff, but I won't hold it against you because how are you supposed to know? We all do that."

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare's hands rose to rub at his temples beneath the curtain of his hair. He turned, slumping back against the nearest tree, completely emotionally worn. "I feel like such a f*cking idiot," he said, then slid down to sit against the trunk, knees bent up in front of him. It was a posture very similar to the one he'd taken during his breakdown in the Room of Requirement, but the breakdown had been averted, or maybe it had already come and was going.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael shook his head and went to sit beside of Dare, searching out one of his hands. "You're not an idiot," Michael said, feeling as though he were reciting a line from a play. "And even if you were, it wouldn't matter because you'd be my idiot," he continued, though it only multiplied the feeling. He prayed that Dare wouldn't pull away and that he would get to see that crooked smile soon, because the tension of the day was exhausting, Michael knew he wouldn't be able to stand much more or it, and he assumed that Dare was the same.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare obliged, though his smile was, sadly, more hopeful than it was amused. He felt like he was a heartbeat away from crying just from all the stress to his nerves. Dare slid his fingers between Michael's, bringing their palms together and glad to have the contact again. Michael was so out of his league, but he didn't seem to mind, so Dare wouldn't argue anymore.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael stretched his legs out in front of him, crossing his ankles. He could feel the tension in Dare and wished he could make it all go away. He leaned over and kissed Dare lightly before letting himself slide down and lean against Dare's shoulder, his head tilting over as he looked out in front of them. "At least Emilian didn't interrogate us this time," Michael said absently.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare released a long, heavy breath, letting himself exhale some of his tension with the air. "There were...a lot of other things to think about," he said, leaning his head lightly against Michael's. Besides the fact that there hadn't really been anything to be seen. Dare had looked at Michael a few times, but that had been it. It had been a lot easier to resist showing anything today. Of course, they'd sat across the room from each other all day. Dare blamed the guys who'd stopped them on the street.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael nodded slightly, smiling at the light weight of Dare's head against his. "Yeah," he said. He knew that the next time it would be different, hopefully less tense without the chance of getting stopped by any men. Michael found himself almost wanting Emilian to know, then at least they wouldn't have to worry about it any more, but he didn't know how Emilian would react, and he really didn't need Emilian nagging him for giving in to Dare when, for so long, he had resisted.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare closed his eyes, content with the moment and trying to focus on it to let go of everything else. He didn't want to think about what had happened outside the gates today, or his stupid pointless worries, or, especially, what had ended up feeling like an argument with Michael, even if technically it hadn't been. Dare lifted their hands, turning them to press a kiss to the back of Michael's and letting his lips linger a moment. He felt incredibly lucky that Michael put up with him.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael sighed happily, letting his thumb move lightly over the skin of Dare's hand. The kiss and the lingering feel of Dare's lips gave him a pleasantly warm feeling in his chest that spread out across his body. He was glad for the comfort that came from being with Dare, even if earlier it had been bad. He felt a smile pulling at his lips and his eyes trailed over what he could see of Dare.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare opened his eyes to watch the forest, grateful for the sense of peace that had somehow finally caught up with them. He stretched his long legs out in front of him on the grass, no longer needing the comfort of being protectively pulled-in. The leg at Michael's side rested, and the other bent back just slightly into a more comfortable pose. He couldn't see Michael's face, so there was no reaction to the fact that he was being observed; Dare's mind had finally moved on, and he was busy simply enjoying the moment.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael had always been comfortable enough with himself to silently admit when another guy had good looks, but had never looked at them the same way as he had girls. With Dare, it didn't feel odd to look at him, or to think that he was good looking, though still if Michael looked too far into things he felt the smallest bit of discomfort and had to pull back to look at things on their most basic levels. On those basic levels he was able to accept the simple fact that he liked Dare and enjoyed being with him. Though he did have a private smirk at the fact that he could no longer disguise certain glances with the quill any more.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

The silence was comfortable, and with Michael pressed warm against him, Dare couldn't help the swing of his thoughts in his direction. The tension had drained away, and Dare's lips curved, at having Michael, and at least beginning to suspect that, if this had been an experiment, it was turning into more. Dare could feel how comfortable Michael was at his side, and he reveled in it. "Knut for your thoughts," he said.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael slumped down just a little more, his smirk widening into a broad grin. "Nothing, just looking," he said quietly. His eyes trailed down Dare's legs and back up again, taking in the fitted jeans. He thought absently about asking about them, but didn't think too long on it before he decided to add more to his answer to Dare's question. "Thinking I'm gonna miss that quill while I figure out where to get you another one," he grinned, knowing that Dare had caught him that one time and wondering if he'd make the connection.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare's lips spread into a grin; he'd made the connection easily. He chuckled and lifted his head, turning to look down at Michael to see if he was pulling his leg, but no, he was looking at his legs. Dare's chuckle returned, even as an unexpected thrill skittered through him. He laid his head back against Michael's and squeezed his hand. "I don't mind," he admitted, though his heart beat a little harder at saying it.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael grinned and squeezed back, a wash of a feeling near shyness coming over him at knowing Dare had seen him looking. He brought their hands up to press his lips to Dare's, "What about you? Or were you just fascinated by that tree over there?" Laughter filled his eyes as they looked up in Dare's direction, though all he saw was red hair, and he settled their hands up close to his face, putting his lips lightly at the spot where their thumbs met.