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"Can I ask you something?" Martyn says, and he feels as if he is drunk enough that he shouldn't be just saying what he thinks, but it's Ren, and well… It's not like he is asking something too out of pocket… He could be asking worse things.
And Ren is nursing a beer too, looking at False as he tends to do whenever she is far away enough to not be weird that he stares, as if no one knew how much he cares for her, or just how much the two of them have this weird thing, which brings Martyn back to what he wants to ask.
"Yeah, dude," Ren turns to look at him, and he is happy, as they all are about the great week they went through, the amazing weekend with so many success they had too. Not only personal but most importantly the charity, of course. "Hit me with it!"
Today is basically their last day here, tomorrow or a day after –details are hard at the moment, not quite there– everyone says goodbye goes back home and wait for the next time to see each other, and he has just been observant, this year a lot more so than before either because Cleo has been making comments or because of how much closer to Ren he is now, and is just… He has eyes. And he has questions about what he sees.
"I just…" Takes a sip of his beer, licks his lips as he thinks the best way to say what he is about to say, then after a too long pause, says: "You… You think you will ever date again?"
And is weird for him to ask that, but like, when he looks at False, looks at how Ren looks at her and only is reminded of how Netty and him were early on, and all with how early today he overheard False nervously asking if Ren would go to Rotterdam, if they would see each other there and is like, yeah…. It's just very eye opening as to what can be going between this two. Makes him question just why they are not a thing.
He does think Ren is thrown off by the question, though, his eyebrows knit together and he stares at his beer for a second too long, but the moment Martyn opens his mouth to apologize, Ren says sounding confuse as if he is not even sure of what he is saying.
"I… Well, for one… I. Well. I'm too old, dude." and he chuckles, looks away embarrassed, as if he was not looking sharp and handsome for being in his 40s. "And like, whenever the, uhm, the opportunity of anything happening I just… I don't feel like romance is all that great either? Which is weird, but like…"
And Ren seems to have many thoughts on the subject, and Martyn thinks they may be close enough mates for him to poke and ask some more. "In what sense?"
And Ren grimes, take a big sip of his drink. Breaths in and out and only then answers. "When I dated for the last time, just soooo long ago!" He extends his arms being all dramatic with it, makes Martyn chuckle. "I had a good enough relationship with my partner and all, but I was just getting tired of the dates and all you know? Because she didn't even like me being like that and if she didn't want it I did not see a point in doing it."
Huh… That's strange but considering he has never heard or met any of Ren's ex-partners he could just say the woman he dated must have just not matched with Ren that greatly but he is curious about the second part. About him not wanting to do the dates and all that stuff if the person he likes is not interested.
"Like, you were romantic only because you thought she liked it?" He asked.
And Ren shakes his head. "No, no, I mean when you fancy someone your just gotta court them you know? Show them you're interested with actions not words."
Literally no one does that, what is he on about. "That's like super old fashion, innit? When me and Netty started dating we mostly talked and talked, and I got her gifts and stuff but you know."
And Ren doesn't answer instantly, moves to once again look at False where she has been talking with Cleo for the past hour, Tango was with them at one point, but Martyn has lost sight of him.
When the silence lingers after a couple of minutes Martyn thinks Ren will just leave him hanging, but eventually he says, still sounding conflicted with the whole thing. "I mean, I just- I don't like the romantic stuff on it's own, it's just… It's always just a way to throw money in an attempt to show how much you love someone, and I…" He pulls his left hand up (supposedly his dominant one as Martyn learned not so long ago) and starts massaging his temple as if the subject just makes his head hurt.
"Yeah, I- That makes sense." He tries to reassure. But Ren seems set on explaining his thoughts.
"I was talking about a similar thing with False before this trip," well, that explains why he is so set in get across his thoughts just right. "She was saying how she would have liked to celebrate or at least be gifted some chocolates for Valentines, but I just- Chocolates are nice, but Valentines is just a money grab! If you love someone you spend time with them, or play a game with them, watch a movie, or just say to them how much you freaking love them!"
God, maybe Cleo is right about Ren being just too blind to realize how obvious he and False are, like he though they were just dancing around each other, but maybe is just Ren being too damn blind for his own good, he is literally upset about a comment False made about Valentines, because he doesn't want to show affection that way… God, Ren is just… He is just really too loving and too blind, somehow.
"Yeah, you could have played MCC with False for example." If anyone asks later Martyn was just too drunk to think about the implications of him suggesting False when Ren is going in a rant about how love can be shown with simple acts, definitely not trying to help Ren just come to realize what is in front of him already. Not trying to encourage anything and stuff you know….
And that comments has blush creeps out to his cheeks, and he chuckles nervously before he tries to hide it by drinking some more. He mumbles then, trying his best to sound compose. "Yes! If- In a case where like, I- Playing MCC together is a great way to expend Valentines! Not need to gift useless stuff that is just made to make people think that love is just giving flowers and stuff… Just the real meaning of love, taking care of them in Minecraft, being um, a great partner… In, erm, Minecraft."
Martyn really wants to keep the ball rolling, he really does, but maybe he is just as drunk as he is trying to say he is, because he swears in that moment he thinks is a bright idea to say, even as embarrassed Ren seems already. "I mean, at least you made it up to her by winning the next MCC, better than any flowers or chocolates, right?"
Is as if Ren was shot with realization, he fails to start a sentence a couple of times until he says, sounding as if he had just discover the biggest truth in the world. "Oh, that- Yeah, I suppose in a way…. If me and False were… It would be like…" Ren blinks and after a good second says. "Do you think she could have seen it as that? We- She was so happy after we won and we were on a call for hours after it and she said I had managed to make up for Valentines and I just-"
Huh. Okay, seems Martyn was more than right. Great. "I don't think you're asking the correct blonde those questions."
Ren doesn't even say anything else, he just… He stands up and walks over to False, he doesn't hear what he says but False seems confused what whatever he said, turns to Cleo to say something and they both walk outside…. Ren looking both nervous and excited and False looking totally confuse.
Did Martyn just make Ren realize he was in love with False? Huh.
He was kinda of aiming at that, just trying to be noisy, but he definitely was not expecting that to unwrap as it did… Well, at least he can claim he was the one to manage to make something happen with those two, what an achievement to be proud of…
Maybe he is just drunk… Eh, either way he thinks tomorrow he will see a very excited Ren one way or another…. Hopefully…
"Ren, what is–" False didn't even finish her sentence before Ren was taking her hands in his. She stares at him, he had been drinking and she had thought he was gonna go to bed soon, he always does when too drunk, after all.
"False, baby, are we dating?" He sounds out of breath, as if he had run a mile, and not just walked out with her.
Ans she just blinks. Is he for real? Is he genuinely asking? "I- Yes? What are you–" And Ren's eyes open as much as his mouth does. Is he genuinely- "You literally ask me out like a year or so ago, dude, what do you mean!?"
"I did not!" He exclaims almost sounding hurt, he looks down at their hands, his eyebrows are burrow as if he is really trying to put the pieces together. "I would remember if I gave you my heart and more, baby! I genuinely haven't... I... I haven't"
And okay… That explains just so much about why he acted both as if they were dating or not. Wow... Just wow...False had just been sure it was Ren just being unsure as to how to navigate their relationship manly being online and long distance, as well as to how rusty he always says he is in the dating department, how unsure he is on how to act with a partner and all that.
Also explains just why she didn't get a Valentines gift, this guy really.
"Ren, you gave me a whole speech when you gave me the trophy for the boat race, was that not you asking me out!?" Sure had been weird out about being ask out in stream, but Ren is just, he is like that and she had been just thinking he had done it live so he could not back down about confessing. As if having the pressure of being live made it easier or something. She should have realized he was just being his obnoxious self.
"No!" And his face is both fill with humor and disbelief. "I- Falsie, there is like so much stuff I have to make up for you! What you mean we have been dating for a whole year!?" His hold on her hands gets firmer, and he is so nervous, makes her want to chuckle about how silly he is being.
"Well considering you didn't know, we were not really dating," she sees how that makes Ren desinflate a little as if he thinks she is turning him down. "How about you actually date me and we make up for it?"
If False had not believe for the last year and some bit more that they were dating she does not think she would have been brave enough to ask that. But she did, and it makes Ren smile, makes his eyes shine with what has to be love and care for her, and just before she can eager him to answer something, she is just being kiss for an inch of her life, and okay that's nice too. That's a great answer too.
It's nice to finally kiss him after so much time questioning if that was even the type of relationship he wanted. It's just…
It's perfect. In it's on way, it is perfect.
Even if because Ren is Ren, they had to go through a whole thing to have their relationship actually become what they both wanted. It's stil nice...
It's nice for any doubts she had about Ren loving her as much as she did to finally be sweep away. Which in reality she should have known it was just Ren being himself, it akways comes to it really... Which is really why she loves him, is it not?
For just being Ren, even if that means being blind as to how his gift to his "friend" has come out as.