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Sunday was about to take another sip of his drink, the rim of the glas barely grazing his lips, when his phone chimes. He sees a familiar name light up on the screen and taps on the message. Amusement already tugging at his lips when he begins to read.
Aventurine
Hello handsome, where are you right now?
That wasn't the message he expected.
It was late into the evening and that was usually the time when Aventurine would message him and inquire about Sunday's day, asking him if he and the crew visited any new places and Sunday would in return read Aventurine's texts telling him about his busy work day and gossiping about his colleagues.
A back and forth like that until it was time to sleep with neither of them being too fond of putting their phones away.
Sunday
Good evening, Aventurine. I'm at the bar on the Express. Why are you asking?
He only has to wait a few seconds before his phone buzzes again.
Aventurine
I wanted to see you before you leave with the others. I didn't visit in so long..don't you want to see me anymore? :(
Sunday huffs out a chuckle and could practically visualize the other man with an exaggerated pouty face, sighing and gasping.
He smiles down at his phone and quickly types a reply before Aventurine could feel ignored.
Sunday
Don't be ridiculous. Of course I want to see you. I just don't want to distract you from your schedule.
It's not a lie per se. He knows how busy Aventurine is.
Sunday just doesn't know if he is ready to be face to face with Aventurine again after their last..lets say, mutual indulgence.
He still turns red thinking about how he let himself go that far.
They haven't seen eachother ever since that night and have instead compensated the lack of physical presence with their daily texting.
Without fail they text eachother late into the night every day until Aventurine messages get a flirtatious undertone making Sunday visibly flustered with his wings twitching in unrestrained excitement.
It's done on purpose of course, Sunday knows, because Aventurine would always video call him afterwards and comment on his fluttering wings.
Sunday could practically feel the ghost of Aventurine's touch on them through the phone.
And Sunday will blame his ruffled state on his room being too warm and not on the sight of Aventurine on his bed with that damn satin pyjama shirt that he only closes on one button.
So caught up in his thoughts that he doesn't realise he never receives a reply back. Instead, the nearby slide door of the party car opens and Aventurine's dazzling self walks in.
He looks handsome as ever. Even with his over the top jewelery adorning his fingers, he somehow manages to make his whole outfit look tasteful and not garish.
"Aw, I'm so hurt, angel," he clutches his chest dramatically and continues, "you don't even want to be in my presence anymore. I knew it!"
Sunday turns on his bar stool and faces the blond, watching him walk down the stairs until he stands in front of him, almost entering his personal space between his slightly spread legs. He gathers words to form a sentence, "I apologize if you got that impression from my last message. It wasn't my intention. I just didn't want to trouble you."
He chuckles after a moment, "Is that worry I hear from your pretty mouth?" he laughs even more when Sunday grabs both of his traitorous wings to still them when they puff up and twitch.
Sunday has yet to get used to the pet names and sweet remarks.
Aventurine's face turns apologetic before he says, "Hey I was just teasing," he leans down and pecks him softly on the cheek, "but I did want to see you. Really."
That little kiss gets him even more flustered. Feathers looking puffier than before, which forces him to keep his hands on them to smooth them down until they look presentable. "I wanted to see you too," he manages to get out.
Aventurine smiles at that and takes the seat next to Sunday.
"I know I usually visit more often and you are right, I am quite busy at work at the moment, but I just didn't want you thinking that I was avoiding you." He casually places his chin on his propped up hand and looks at him fondly.
"I wasn't thinking anything like that." How could he think that when they are practically texting every day?
"Good. I'm glad to hear you missed me too." Aventurine gently takes Sunday's hand in his and squeezes it.
His heart stutters at the gentleness. "I never said i missed you too."
"Ow, are you trying to break my heart? Didn't you say you just say you wanted to see me too?", he pouts.
Sunday sighs, deafeatedly looking at that adorable face.. "Please don't tease me."
That gets him an another playful kiss to his wrist. "Im sorry, it's just so fun."
Feeling thoroughly teased, yet, Sunday replies by interlacing their fingers together, feeling the warmth of the other's palm spread against his.
Eventually Aventurine changes the topic and asks where the others went while casually tapping his finger on the wooden counter to order a drink from Shush. Some kind of colorful cocktail with an orange slice attached to the rim arrives shortly after.
"They are sightseeing and I didn't feel like going." Sunday replies and goes back to sipping his own drink.
"Hmm. Needed some quiet before you go on the next adventure?" He also takes a sip and smacks his lips, looking delighted at the taste.
"Something like that." He muses. "It's sometimes hard to think when the others are around doing their shenanigans."
An amused laugh escapes Aventurine's mouth. "And you don't participate? It looked to me like you had fun last time."
"Hmm..I do join them sometimes and I agree, I had alot of fun that night." Sunday smiles softly, thinking back at how they painted eachothers nails and what ensued afterwards, stopping himself halfway before his thoughts could wander to more inappropriate things.
He snaps out of his thoughts when Aventurine says. "And now I'm here to disturb your peace as well."
Sunday waves his hand in a dismissive gesture. "What are you saying? You don't bother me at all. I enjoy your company and you now that."
"Heh? Is Sunday Oak flirting with me? How cute." He sips on his drink and licks the sweet residue off his lips. Sunday's eyes involuntarily wander do them before blinking his gaze away. Aventurine notices of course and smirks at him knowingly.
"You are teasing again." he says as a matter of fact and turns away to finish off his glas, his cheeks suddenly feel too warm. The buzz of the alcohol must be slowly hitting his head, it's his second drink of the evening after all and to call him a lightweight would be an understatement.
Aventurine observes him and reaches out to cups his cheek with his gloved hand, turning Sunday's face back to the him. "Don't hide from me," he runs a thumb over the curve of his cheeckbone and hums, "Hmm? Your cheeks are all red and warm. You don't drink often do you?"
He shakes his head and closes his eyes for a moment. "Not really. I used to drink at parties back on Penacony, but it wasn't for my own enjoyment, it was an expectation of me." When he opens his eyes he is greeted with Aventurine's soft gaze and adds, "I don't mind indulging with you though. You make a plesant drinking partner."
At that Aventurine retreats his hand and takes a swig of his own drink.
Sunday notices how Aventurine's own cheeks have flared up a little. Pinker than usual.
It seems like he doesn't drink much himself.
Before thinking better of himself he cups Aventurine's face the same way the blond did with his, and feels heat radiating from it even through his gloves.
Sunday genuinely laughs at that and Aventurine looks flustered for once.
What a rare sight Sunday thinks.
"You don't drink regulary yourself, do you, Aventurine?", enunciating his name in a sultry, almost slurred way.
"Is that a problem? I can't be perfect at everything." he mumbles. "Besides, I need a clear head to gamble."
Aventurine looks positively embarrassed in that moment and Sunday loves every second of it.
"I'm not making fun of you, don't worry. I'm just observing the obvious."
"Oh yeah? Tell me more then, angel. What else are you observing?" He turns a bit in his chair so Sunday could get a better look at him.
Sunday wills his wings to stay calm after hearing that nickname again and muses, "Hmm let's see." He hums and allows his eyes to wander over Aventurine's face, momentarily stopping at his lips to watch him lick away some remaining sugar granules that were left by the rim of his glas.
Oh. He definitely is doing it on purpose.
His eyes drift lower down his body until they stop on the blond's sleeves. Warmth bubbles up in his chest. "You are wearing the cufflinks I gifted you." In response, Aventurine turns his arm to show him his prized posession from a better angle, letting the warm light bounce off the gemstones.
"Correct. What else?" Aventurine's tone is playfull.
"Your right leg keeps jumping up and down in nervousness and..", he looks back into those mesmerizing magenta eyes, "you are really handsome today, as if you took extra care getting dressed for a special occasion."
Sunday smiles triumphedly at Aventurine's gawking expression before the other changes it back to something more composed.
"My my. Aren't we bold today?" The pink hue on his cheeks is more visible now with his face turned towards Sunday's. Another observation he makes but keeps to himself.
"Well, you did ask, can't blame me now, can you?"
"I agree, but...isn't it only fair if I do some observing too, Mr. Sunday?" He counters playfully.
Back to honorifics it seems.
"Of course. What do your keen eyes observe Mr. Aventurine?" Sunday tries to sound aloof but fails at the execution.
"Hmm lets see..first, you looked at my lips a total of three times already which leads me to believe that you are quite into me, Mr Sunday. And I would wager that that has been a fact for quite some time, no?" Aventurine has the gall to lean back smugly, twirling the straw of his drink between his fingers before asking boldly, "When did you start liking me, Mr. Sunday? Was it back on Penacony?"
He couldn't have been that obvious, could he?
Even back then there was an unspoken gravitational pull they both felt for eachother, but in the end none of them entertained those feelings for obvious reasons.
"Th-that's not-", Sunday stammers before collecting himself and taking in a deep breath. "Well, I have to admit that I'm a bit at a loss for words, but it is only fair to be honest with you." He takes an encouraging sip from his straw and continues, "You did peak my interest when I did research on you back then and I believe if we met under different circumstances then I'm sure that one thing would have led to another. So to answer your question, yes it has been a while."
That might be the single most honest thing leaving his lips in a long while and it feels rewarding seeing how rattled Aventurine looks now.
"Guess my wager payed off in the end. I appreciate the honesty." He rewards Sunday by reaching out and gently stroking one of his wings, making sure to rub the flesh delicately at the base where the feathers start.
That elicits a low groan out of Sunday's throat. "What are you..Aventurine." he says warningly and grabs his wrist weakly.
The other laughs playfully and rubs the feathers one more time before finally retreating his hand. "Okay okay. I'll stop." He hides his smirk behind his glas and takes a swig of his drink.
Sunday was grateful that the teasing stopped but also couldn't help himself feeling a little dejected without Aventurine's hands on him.
———
The evening continues with more lighthearted small talk and teasing remarks.
Sunday can't help himself to leave some compassionate rubs to the blond's thigh when Aventurine tells him a funny story about buying the wrong brand of cat treats which prompted his three catcakes to ignore him for two whole days. He still looks heartbroken about it.
Aventurine would reciprocate his physical advances with casually tucking some loose strands of hair behind Sunday's ear just for them to spill back to the side of his face again. Prompting the blond to repeat the motion, making sure to graze his wings along the way.
And it just feels so good, this thing between them. Sunday could sit here for hours, bathing in Aventurine's attention and touches. He is also happy to note that his usual stiffness is long gone when he responds in a likewise manner.
Outsiders looking in would have a hard time believing that these two men are getting along this well given their complicated past.
After running out of stories, two interlinked hands remain and a comfortable silence spreads around them, only interrupted by the clinking ice cubes in their freshly made drinks. Both not sipping to fast as to not get too drunk too quickly.
Sunday opens his eyes when he feels the person next to him shift and sees an elegant, gloved hand materialize in front of his face.
"Care to dance?" Aventurine looks at him fondly while holding out an expectant hand.
How could he say no to such face?
Sunday was about to remove his coat when Aventurine's skilful fingers were quicker to perform the task. He folds the blue and white coat just the way Sunday likes it before removing his own and Sunday takes note of how attractive those white pants are hugging Aventurine's hips when he moves around to place both of their coats on the bar stool. The urge to hug him from behind bubbles up in him but he restrains his itching hands and waits patiently for the blond to return to him.
"Admiring the view?" Aventurine tilts his head to the left, making his earring glitter from the lights.
Feeling caught, Sunday shakes his head and replies challengingly, "Maybe."
His magenta eyes light up and a chuckle escapes his lips, "All you have to do is ask nicely, angel."
Ignoring the provocative remark, Sunday takes a step forward and says, "Weren't we going to dance?"
Aventurine just smiles at him and extends his hand.
Sunday takes it and let's himself get guided to the middle of the party car. "I didn't dance in a while, I'm afraid I'm out of practice."
"Don't worry, you can step on me all you want. I will hold you close." His soft smile shifts into something more mischievous.
Sunday tries to ignore his cheeks heating up even more and says, "I will try to not ruin your expensive shoes."
"Don't worry yourself with such frivolous matters and just enjoy yourself."
Aventurine holds Sundays waist with an assured grip and the other man finds support on the blond's shoulder. Sunday grabs Aventurine's free hand, interlacing their fingers together, and lets himself be swayed into a soft waltz.
The movements are slow and lazy, they have none of the stiff and calculated precision Sunday is used to and he enjoys the feeling of not having to perform for others. They are dancing just to dance and to share this moment together.
"You are not bad, angel, I could do this all night." Sunday feels Aventurine's hand tighten in his and squeezes it back.
"You are not bad yourself. It feels nice." He closes his eyes and listens to the shuffling of their dress shirts and soft tapping of their feet on the carpeted floor.
Aventurine smiles at him softly before guiding him into a slow twirl. He catches him back into his arms, allowing their bodies to press closer than before.
"I don't believe this is how you used to dance back in penacony though, right?"
"Not at all. I was trained from a very young age and never danced just for the fun of it. It was all strict and rehearsed. Even my dance partners were picked for me beforehand."
Sunday remembers those exhausting days. There were countless nights on which he just wanted to go to his room, tired of his artificial smile and fake politeness. Back aching from keeping it straight for hours on end, always conveying the image of perfection and still being told it's not enou—
"Hey there, Angel." Aventurine cups his cheek with one hand, looking worried, "Are you okay? You went all rigid on me. Do you want to stop?"
He is suddenly aware of his body not being as relaxed as ten seconds ago so he quickly melts back into the other by hugging him closer and running a hand over Aventurine's back. "I apologize. I got lost in my thoughts. I want to continue if you still want to."
"It's okay, just enjoy yourself, hmm?" The hand on his waist tightens a smidge more before wrapping itselfs around him and rubbing comforting circles into his soft skin.
They dance to the soft ambient music with Sunday's forehead now resting comfortably on Aventurine's collarbone, nuzzling into the crook of his neck and breathing in his cologne.
He smells so good. He burrows himself even closer, inhaling the heady citrusy fragrance even more.
Aventurine just feels so soft and gentle.
He hugs him even tighter and let's his lips press on the other's throat, right next to the branding.
"There has been something I wanted to tell you." The arm around him loosens a little. "Don't be upset but..I won't be able to accept your apology."
"My apology?." Sunday looks up at him and starts to withdraw from the embrace.
Aventurine doesn't let Sunday slip out of his grasp and keeps him still by snaking his hands around his lower back. He kisses the tip of Sunday's nose, trying to chase the worry out of his face. "I mean your apology from that night, pretty bird. You really caught me off guard at that time you know?"
Sunday just stares into his eyes, confusion painted on his face.
"I really didn't know what to say or how to react to that. No one ever apologized to me earnestly like that and to be honest it feels wrong." Aventurine's face shifts into a frown and Sunday immediately wants to smooth out the crease that appears between his brows but controls the urge.
"But—"
"No 'but'. You know why i came to Penacony. I'm not innocent myself and you know that. Aren't we even by now? We had our priorities and reasons for why we acted the way we did and I think we should move on from that, don't you think the same?" He cups his cheek with one hand to keep eye contact and sighs. "We are both no saints and that's okay."
Sunday lets out a shaky breath and closes his eyes. "Of course I know why you came to Penacony and it's not like I haven't thought a lot about the past as well, not just about you or myself, but also what I left back at home. That is why I do feel my apology to be warranted."
"I don't need your apology. I just want for you to be in a better environment." Sunday opens his eyes again and stares into dual colored eyes. "And seeing you thrive here, makes me really proud."
Sunday feels conflicted by this statement, "Things changed, that is true but I still feel guilty and undeserving of this freedom."
The crease between Aventurine's brows deepens. "It's not perfect but still..", he smothes a thumb over Sunday's cheek and continues, "it is better than being in that cold cell."
Aventurine embraces him gently and rubs his back in a soothing motion, "I think you have suffered enough." Sunday hugs him back, clinging to the fabric on his back.
"And you haven't? I'm also aware of your own," he pauses, "...freedom. You are not working for the IPC just for the fun of it, I understand that, and—"
"My reasons for working there do not eradicate the crimes I have commited", he interrupts. "Sunday, you can't blame yourself for everything that went down. We don't have control about every single thing surrounding us. The past is done, let it go. I'm not telling you to do it now, I know very well that this takes time, but I want you to know that I'm here to accompany you through this journey if you let me. I've come to care for you deeply." He leans back and brushes some hair out of Sunday's eyes to coax him to look back at him. "I think we can be good for eachother."
It's hard for Sunday to accept any kind of help, even from the other Astral Express members, but taking Aventurine's helping hand, seems to be easier than he thought.
Sunday just looks at him with droopy wings framing his face. He sighs and says with a struggle, "It's difficult but I understand what you are saying. No apologies between us. Let's start anew."
He receives a fond smile from Aventurine before the latter leans in to place a lingering kiss to his soft lips. "Thank you,"
Sunday's wings flutter embarrassingly at the contact but he tilts his head forward and kisses him back nonetheless. Even opting to place a few more feathery light pecks to his mouth just for good measure.
Aventurine looks positively delighted at the returned affection and says, "I'm happy you know?" He hugs him tightly and sways his body left and right.
Sunday just nuzzles his nose into the crook of Aventurine's neck. "About?"
"Now that we are official, I can finally add a heart to your name in my phone."
Genuine amusement bubbles up in Sunday's chest when he laughs.
The blond leans back to look at him in confusion. "What's so funny?"
Sunday takes out his phone from his back pocket and shows Aventurine the lit up screen. Their last text conversation could be seen and Aventurine focuses on one spot in particular.
"I have already done that when you gave me your number."
Aventurine's face turns sly like that of a fox. "My my, aren't we a bit possessive? That was months ago."
Sunday just swats him in the face with his wing, "Don't make fun of me. I felt it to be appropriate given our.." He doesn't finish that sentence and instead embraces him tightly to ask, "Will you stay the night?"
He can feel the chuckle building up in Aventurine's chest. "I told you all you have to do is ask nicely." He lets go of Sunday with one last kiss and goes to pick up their coats before taking Sunday's hand and leading him to his room, vanishing behind closed doors.