The City of Ipses

“I see…”

He wasn’t really surprised Damian had never been to such a place - it hardly seemed the kind of place the other man would pursue of his own will. He pondered idly what the would man would enjoy here. The craziest rides like the rollercoaster were out of the list because he tended to get sick in those and he could hardly picture Damian in such a setting. The haunted manor...to put it simply he wasn’t crazy about getting spooked and had the tendency to accidentally activate his quirk when too surprised. Well, at least others might believe in an actual poltergeist if stuff started flying around unexpectedly.

He looked around until his eyes fell on the stands with the mini-games for prizes. The type of place was usually overpriced but that was something he gathered would be a new experience for Damian without it being too overwhelming. Luckily it wasn’t impossibly crowded, with most children being attracted first by the carrousels nearby and also the food stands.

“Let’s try winning something over there?”

He was opting for the shooting game - he remembered not being half bad at it as a kid. Well he’d been better than Steve, which might not mean much since his friend had been really bad at it.

As expected, the fee for three tries each was steep. They were each handed a faux shotgun to shoot at the center of the target for the prize they’d prefer to win. Aslan tilted his head as he chose his target. There were all sorts of soft toys depicting animals. He settled for one of a black cat with blue eyes, getting in position and aiming at the target. He guessed that Damian would be able to win this easily enough if he so wished. He could too, for that matter. But it was more fun this way.
 
"Aright," Damian agreed, following Aslan over to the rows of booths. There were a wide variety lining the side of the road, each attended by a costumed worker. Only a few of them had visitors, playing the various games. One young man was bouncing a basketball in the ground, before trying to toss it through the ring at the back of the booth. It bounced twice off the edge of the hoop, before falling off the side and rolling down the net back to the attendant, who tossed the ball back to the player to try again.

Most of the games seemed to work similarly, including the shooting booth that Aslan led Damian to. The gun looked like a long, brown rifle, except, instead of shooting bullets, it fired dime sized red caps that were supposed to knock stuffed animals off of shelves. After paying, the attendant handed both him and Aslan the guns.

As Aslan took aim, Damian watched both him and the gun. He'd never used the weapons before, hardly feeling the need when they were so ineffective in comparison to his own abilities. The few times he'd come into confrontation with villains who did wield guns instead of using their own abilities, he tended to just disassemble the weapons before they could be put to any use.

Almost unconsciously, Damian established a field around him as he raised the gun to take aim. However, a split-second later, and he caught sight of the sign with large red letters that sat at the back of all of the game booths.

"NO QUIRKS"

Of course, Damian's ability was far too subtle for even high-end government technology to be able to detect his spaces, especially so if they were inside the field and therefore under his control, to say nothing of the little gizmos the carnival had installed. All the same, after a moment's consideration, Damian released the field, and took aim with the gun once more.

His first shot few wildly off mark, even more so considering the fact that Damian didn't really know what he'd been aiming for. The attendant quickly stepped forward to swap Damian's gun with a loaded one, but Damian paused before taking his second shot, choosing to watch Aslan instead.
 
Aslan held the fake gun with way more confidence than he would have if it had been a real one. Even though he hadn’t been to such a place in ages, he was now clearly reliving the last time he’d played such a game, as he held the gun just so and took aim at his intended target. The first shot was close enough to the center, but didn’t quite make it.

He paused idly to watch Damian’s attempt and blinked at the wild miss. Just then he noticed the large ‘No Quirks’ sign and the basic surveillance equipment they’d set up. He figured it was normal for someone not to be particular good at this kind of thing in their first attempt.

He smiled softly at the dark haired man before taking aim again, trying to ignore the fact the other was watching him, probably to try to figure out how to shoot. He tried to take his mind off things as he gazed at his target intently and pressed the trigger. He blinked when he managed to hit the center and the small cat doll prize fell through to the box under the target. Aslan grinned at his victory and handed the small toy over to Damian.

“Here, um, would you like to have it?” He asked tentatively, thinking only too late how silly it must be to be given a plushie as if he were a girl.

“If you want to, I can show you how to shoot?”

He ignored the unfriendly look from the stall's owner - of course, if people taught each other they'd win more prizes and require less tries at shooting.
 
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"Nice shot," Damian praised, as the attendant also offered Aslan some rote congratulations, before returning with the blue-eyed black cat and setting it down on the counter in front of them. Damian turned his attention back to the gun, lifting it and half-heartedly taking aim, before he suddenly noticed Aslan pick up the toy and offer it to him. Damian promptly set down the pop gun, receiving the toy.

It was slightly stiff, but the fur was soft. It sat cutely on its haunches, overlarge head slightly unbalanced, big blue eyes filled with sparkles. He unconsciously petted the space between its eyes with one finger as it sat in his hand. "Thank you," he said softly, the words unconsciously bringing a small smile to his lips.

A second later and he delicately set the small animal down on the counter, before picking up the pop gun again. "Yeah. Show me how to use this thing."
 
Aslan relaxed as he saw the genuine smile on Damian’s face and silently vowed to try to make the other smile more.

“I’m not an expert, but if you place your hands just so…”

He stood behind the dark haired man, gently showing him how to hold the gun and how to aim.

“Make sure you keep the gun steady as you aim..:” He whispered right next to the other’s ear. It was difficult to keep socially acceptable distance when showing someone how to hold a gun and shoot. He was painfully aware of their bodies’ proximity as he explained the other man what to do. He chose a target at random - the one that seemed to be at the best angle. Out of the corner of his eye, he glimpsed a small lion whose mane reminded him of his own unruly hair. It had a comically morose expression and he gathered he didn’t look much different from it when he had to wake up extra early for his morning shifts at the station.

“Got it? Try now..:”

He said, stepping back so Damian could shoot on his own. They’d gotten enough sideway glances from the stand’s owner as it was. Luckily, the man was momentarily distracted by some kids on the stand next to theirs blatantly using their quirks.
 
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As Damian took aim with the gun again, he allowed Aslan's voice and gentle touch to slowly correct his hold on the gun, while a small smile tugged at the corners of his lips. He could almost feel the heat radiating off of the other man's face at their close proximity, but Alsan still carefully and attentively guided him.

Once Aslan had finished positioning him, Damian pulled the trigger. The cork flew out, striking the foot of a black sheep, which spun slightly, but ultimately didn't fall off the shelf.

At the very least it was a helpful piece of data, Damian decided. He still hadn't been sure what he'd been aiming at, but seeing where he'd been directing the gun and where the cork actually hit did him a lot to tell him about how this little game was supposed to work, beyond the obvious.

"Very close," the attendant praised politely, before taking Damian's empty gun and offering him a re-loaded one. "Here's your third shot. Best of luck."

"I think I got this now," Damian commented softly. He leveled the gun in front of him, taking aim, almost at random, at a pink mouse with big ears and a curly tail. One slow breath later, and he pulled the trigger.

The cork collided an instant later with the center of a stuffed animal's chest, sending it skidding off the back of the shelf and down to the net. Damian had to keep himself from tsking. That was not what he'd been aiming for. Instead of hitting the pink mouse, his cork had struck a grumpy yellow lion, one shelf down and over three animals to the right of the one he'd been aiming for. He almost wondered if the gun the attendant had given him was defective.

Not that it really mattered to him. It was nothing but a silly game, and at least he'd gotten something from it for Aslan's money. The attendant quickly handed over the yellow lion, and Damian petted it's ruffled mane for a moment before offering it to Aslan. "I suppose that makes this yours?" he asked the other man with a lopsided smile.
 
Aslan stepped back to let Damian have some space and watched intently as he tried once again. The next try was almost successful.

“You almost got it.” He said, trying to sound encouraging.

He hovered nearby as Damian took aim again and blinked when he hit the lion instead of the pink mouse he’d apparently been aiming for. Well, at least he’d managed to win a prize on his third attempt, which was very hard to achieve with no experience.

He looked at the dark haired man when he offered him the lion. That smile made him feel as if he had a swarm of butterflies in his stomach and he automatically smiled as well, accepting the plushie handed to him.

“Thanks! I’ll treasure it!”

He looked around for a bit, searching for their next destination. They were nearby. He pointed to the giant ferris wheel.

“Want to get a ride on the ferris wheel next?”

With some luck they’d get their own pod. This seemed to be the quietest ride among all of them and it would allow them some privacy to talk.

If not for Chris’ visit , this would have been like a regular date. As it was, the man’s words were still an echo in his mind, much as he was trying to get his mind off it. When he talked to Damian about it, he hoped that would ease that weight...if the other could forgive him for agreeing to aid his friend, that was.
 
"Alright," Damian agreed, handing over his empty gun to the attendant one last time, before scooping up the black kitten he'd set down on the counter. "Let's go."

The attendant opened his mouth slightly as the two began to walk away, likely wondering whether or not he should remind them that Aslan still had one shot left. However, like Damian, the attendant apparently decided that they'd both won prizes and Aslan didn't seem to care, so there was no point in mentioning it.

The line for the ferris wheel was not as long as many of the roller coasters, but there was still a good collection of people waiting for their opportunity to enter the ride. And while it might not be as exciting as the roller coasters, Damian thought it deserved the attention. After all, it was easily the tallest attraction in this part of the park, and would provide a nice view of not only the rest of the amusement park, but the surrounding neighborhood as well.

Damian glanced over at Aslan as they got in line, still absentmindedly stroking the stuffed cat. "Everything you hoped it'd be?" he asked, lips quirking in amusement.
 
He smiled at the dark haired man at the question, poking the small plushie he was holding.

“Well, I wasn't counting on gaining a fellow grumpy companion for my early mornings…” He held it next to his face for comparison. “I guess we kinda look alike…” At least his hair was just as hard to tame.

They didn't have to wait long in line to be ushered into a pod. They got one for themselves, as the attendants saw the group of six kids next to them and either decided to spare them having to share the tight space with the rowdy group or, most likely, eight people would be going past the pod's limit. Whatever the reason, at least they'd have some peace and quiet on the ferris wheel.

Aslan sat on the uncomfortable seat, drilling his fingers on his knees idly. There wasn't much to do here except appreciate the very slowly changing scenery, chat or- his eyes fell on their neighboring pod where a couple was very engaged with each other. His cheeks flushed and he immediately peeled his eyes away, as if the sight burned them. Okay, perhaps this hadn't been his best decision? What if Damian thought he'd suggested this ride for that purpose…

His phone vibrating distracted him from the barrage of panicking thoughts and he frowned a bit when he saw Steve's name. He'd told him he was going on a date and Steve never disturbed him during those. He apologized to Damian as he checked the text, thinking it might be an emergency.

So, have you kissed him yet?:kiss:

“Whaaaa-?!”

Whatever loose strands of hair immediately flew off his face, eyes flashing golden briefly as he accidentally activated his quirk. He did a quick juggling act for his phone and stuffed toy, as his telekinesis threatened to send both items flying. He stuffed his phone back in his jacket’s pocket, cheeks aflame, as he grumbled about idiotic friends and how he should have dumped him twenty years ago.
 
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Damian settled somewhat uncomfortably into the cab of the ferris wheel. The little, circular space was still clean, perhaps the benefit of being brand new, but the plastic seats were undeniably uncomfortable. This was not the kind of place anyone expected people to remain long-term. All the same, he was able to distract himself with the view as the cab slowly rose into the air in short bursts, as the attendant loaded and unloaded guests into the other cabs.

The view was decent, as the park quickly sprawled out in front of them, before they were lifted high enough to see over the edges of the park. Unsurprisingly, the amusement park had been built on the edge of Ipses, in a relatively undeveloped space. No doubt the city would rapidly extend to close it, but for now it was still possible to see grassy fields on one side of the park, and the high buildings of downtown Ipses on the horizon on the other.

Damian's thoughts were momentarily derailed by the sound of a faint vibration muffled by fabric. He glanced down towards his own coat almost unconsciously, even as he quickly decided that the noise hadn't come from his phone, and turned his gaze back outside. However, a moment later, and he was completely pulled out of his thoughts by a sudden shout from Aslan. Damian's brows rose somewhat in amusement, as he had to resist the urge to peek at whatever message the young man had just gotten to make him react so aggressively. However, if the flush on his cheeks was any indication, it had been something embarrassing.

"Everything alright?" Damian asked, trying and mostly succeeding at not laughing.
 
He crossed his arms, still deeply embarrassed by the whole situation - and now he’d made a fool of himself in front of Damian. Great. Usually the half amused expression on the other’s face would be welcome, but at his own expense it was frankly embarrassing.

“Fine, Steve is just being an idiot…” He grumbled, eyes straying to the moving scenery as he willed himself to relax. For any regular date, this would be a fine opportunity for some intimacy, sure. But Damian was anything but ‘regular’. Besides, he sure couldn't act as everything was fine, not after Chris’ request.

He frowned, hand closing a bit tighter around the soft toy. He had to tell him. Even if the other man would hate him for agreeing to Chris’ vision, well… Concealing this from Damian was even worse. He sighed, eventually forcing himself to face the man opposite him.

“Um, there's something…that you need to know. I…”

Well, no use beating around the bush.

“Uh your friend visited me the other day… I agreed to try and convince you about becoming a hero…” He ran a hand over his hair in a nervous fashion. “I'm sorry…” He muttered, eyes glued to the metal floor.
 
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Damian smiled again at Aslan's embarrassment, but didn't push the issue any farther. He didn't want to risk the young man imploding again, like he had in the restaurant, especially not when they were trapped together hundreds of feet above the ground. "Alright," he replied, somewhat placatingly. "Don't worry about it."

They returned to silence for a couple of seconds, before Damian heard another short, nervous breath from Aslan. Glancing over, he saw the young man almost hunched over on himself, his face pale with anxiety. Just as Damian was about to ask him if he was alright, the young man spoke.

As Damian listened to Aslan's words, he felt a trace of anger rising up inside him, causing him to unconsciously and immediately release a space around him. Scant moments later and the rotation of the ferris wheel lifted him out of the space, and Damian forced himself to calm down as well.

"I should probably be the one to apologize," he finally said, unable or unwilling to check how his silence had impacted Aslan. "I'm afraid I didn't really think it through when I went to say hello to you with Chris around. If I'd thought about it, I probably would have realized he'd drag you into it." Damian's hand's briefly balled into fists, before he forced himself to relax again.

"I'll speak with him," Damian said, tone sharp but controlled. "You can just... ignore whatever he said to you."
 
He'd expected Damian to not be happy about the whole thing, he just didn't expect him to get so intense about it. Up until now he'd witnessed the other man being nonchalant about things, polite sometimes and even content other times. Only now was he realizing he hadn't seen any strong emotions from the other man… Up until now. He paled significantly, silently blaming himself once again.

He shook his head at Damian's apology. “It's… Not your fault.” His hands closed into fists, fingers gripping the rough denim of his jeans. He looked up at Damian at his next words.

“But I can't just let it go, can I? He actually…made sense, you know.” He said, wincing a bit. “The crime rate these days is crazy. If…if there's someone with the power to stop that…” His eyes fell again, dark with sadness. “But then… That wouldn't be fair on you, would it…”

Even Damian's friend wanted to use him because of his powers. This was a tricky question… Should the well-being of several people - mostly strangers - be more important than that of an individual - someone he'd grown to cherish? Of course, most people would jump the chance to choose the greater good, he was the fool that usually got stuck wanting everything to be perfect, so much, he usually got a crushing defeat on game nights. This was a very complex game he was playing and he had absolutely no idea what to do. He sighed, running his hands over his hair. He looked over at the comically sad lion that had slipped to the floor. It somehow seemed like an allegory of this moment. It figured that when he tried to make things better for everyone, he just made them worse.

“I, I'm sorry…” He repeated quietly, rubbing his palms together in a nervous fashion. Things were effectively ruined - this date, his feeble growing relationship with Damian. He'd hardly blame the man if he didn't want to see him again after this. He grew quiet after that, silently waiting for the ferris-wheel to complete the ride.
 
Damian felt his anger simmering just below the surface, waiting to erupt. His game with Chris had been balanced on a tight-rope, precariously pushed back and forth by the man's stubbornness on one side, and his silver tongue on the other. Nothing had ever come of it before this point, because Damian was certain he wouldn't help, and Chris had always smoothly backpedaled the instant he realized he was about to cross over Damian's bottom line.

However, this stunt with Aslan had pushed things just too far, and Chris' carefully stacked house of cards was only seconds away from tumbling down. Damian's hands closed tighter and tighter around the neck of the little black cat that sat in his lap, until the tips of his fingers began to burn slightly from the pressure. A flicker of a thought formed another space around him, and for a moment Damian was tempted to simply leave, vanish from within the ferris wheel's cab and set out for the horizon, until Ipses was swallowed up by ground and sky.

Aslan's crumpled expression, the mist gathering in his eyes, was what stopped Damian, and cooled his temper. With a sigh, his hands gradually loosened their grip. He wasn't mad at Aslan, and there was no sense on taking out this bad situation on him. Not when he was so innocent.

"You're a good person, Aslan." And there was no doubt the young man was. That was part of what had attracted Damian to him to begin with, his simple, straightforwardness, the way he wore his heart on his sleeve. It was so different from everything else he had seen from this world.

What Damian pointedly left unsaid was that he was not. As calm and gentle as he appeared on the surface, it was nothing but a mask, a cover for a cold-blooded streak of ruthlessness that few could match. Damian was not a hero, and he had never pretended to be one. And he was never going to be someone's tool, ever again.

But Aslan didn't know that. It wasn't as though Damian had ever told Aslan about it, beyond the brief conversation they'd had over lunch.

"I'm not mad at you," he eventually said, finally fully releasing the cat and stroking the ruffled fur around its neck. "But you should stay out of this, Aslan. My thing with Chris? It's a dangerous game, and you will get hurt if you start trying to play. Don't do that." His grey eyes attempted to pin down the other's gaze. "Alright?"
 
Aslan watched with no small degree of worry as Damian choked the small soft toy. He couldn't remove his eyes from it, a part of him wondering in a detached sort of way that this was a man that could just destroy the whole park if he felt like it. Or a specific visitor. And yet he wasn't afraid, not really. Even though Damian could do those things and more - whatever he wanted, really - he always chose to live seemingly like everyone else.

His next words surprised him. Damian wasn't mad at him?

“You're…not?” He asked numbly. His eyes accompanied the other's gesture as he stroked the faux fur. He swallowed dryly as their eyes met.

“I… I won't.” His own gaze fell on the sad looking lion on the floor and he picked it up, running his fingers over its unruly mane. “It's not something I wanted to play a part in to begin with.” He confessed.

“For some reason Chris seemed to think it was a good idea but I'm just no good at this sort of thing.” He smiled sadly. “I'm always last in board game nights, I can't lie to save my life, not even a small white lie. This thing has plagued my mind for the last days actually. I worry and worry and I can never come up with a good solution to things. I'm just the worst…”

He ran a hand over his hair again, but he'd done the nervous gesture so many times, it was impossible to handle. He tugged the tie off, the wild tresses coming loose around his features. “I'm sorry I ruined things.” He said, his voice numb. “I didn't mean to get between you and your friend…”

But was Chris Damian's friend, really? He'd come to visit him first and foremost as a political figure. And the way he wanted to have Damian protect Ipses. While commendable for the greater good, at a more personal level one would think a friend would take his friend's wishes into more consideration. Damian was right - this was a complex game he couldn't begin to understand.
 
"I know," Damian replied, his voice soft and almost soothing. He took a slow, deep breath, trying to use the cold air from the top of the Ferris Wheel to cool the last of the heat of his temper that was still burning in his chest, waiting for the smallest nudge to reignite. He would have to go have a conversation, potentially a long one, with Chris after all this was done, but that was a task for later. Right now, he simply needed to focus on Aslan.

Somewhat hesitantly, Damian reached out, lightly stroking the top of Aslan's head with the tips of his fingers. "It'll be alright."



Unfortunately, Aslan had been correct in his assumption that their date had been pretty much ruined. They both felt it, and neither pushed the matter after the ride on the ferris wheel came to an end. Aslan was clearly too uncomfortable to try and ask Damian to stay, and Damian wanted a bit of time and space to fully cool his emotions before spending more time with Aslan. And he wouldn't be able to fully relax until he talked with Chris, either.

They paused at the exit of the park to say their farewells, before Damian turned away. He'd done his best to reassure Aslan that he had no intention of disappearing, or never speaking to him again, but he wasn't entirely sure if his intentions had been properly conveyed to the young man. Damian was all but certain his anxiousness hadn't actually faded any.

But he still had other business to attend to. For once, Damian didn't take the time to walk to where he wanted to go. Instead, an oblong space stretched out in front of and behind him, and a strange step carried him forward across the intervening distance. In a series of quick blinks, Damian traversed blocks at a time, spaces appearing and disappearing around him in time to his steps. No one caught sight of him as he traveled.

He came to a halt outside the Governor's Manor only a few minutes later, a serious expression on his face. The guard standing at the door flinched at Damian's sudden appearance, however he relaxed a few moments later when he recognized the familiar silhouette.

"Mr. Nault," he said, sounding somewhat relieved as the fire that danced on his fingertips went dark. "I didn't see you arrive."

Damian smiled slightly, but didn't otherwise comment. "Is Chris here?"

"He's inside," the guard agreed. "I'll let him know you've arrived."
 
The small touch to his hair had him relax a bit and his expression just settled in a sad countenance. Of course, the date was effectively over after that. He wondered idly if there would even be a next one as he bid Damian farewell.

He was understandably upset that night at Steven’s, who’d invited him for dinner. After careful nudging and prodding he ended up blurting his worries to Steven and Hannah - well, not the complete story since he obviously wasn’t supposed to go telling that to people. To tell about the governor of all people being a friend to Damina, he would have to tell them about Damian’s abilities. And he’d already swore to himself to keep his secret safe from everyone. So he told them whatever abridged version he could. They’d been friends for long enough that neither of them prodded for details.

“It’s just...I feel he hates me now…” He ended miserably.

Hannah sighed and ran her hand over his hair. “Oh my poor boy... “ She always had a maternal side, even though she was technically younger than him. “I’m sure he doesn’t. You were just being yourself - your very honest and adorable self.”

He scowled. “I was just an idiot. I shouldn’t have told him his friend had asked this thing of me...”

“But then you would have agonized over it even longer. I know who you are. What sort of creepy friend is that anyway, going out of his way to use you to convince him to do his bidding. That guy sounds like a crook.” She scowled, tugging a pink colored strand of hair, as she was wont to when crossed.

“Yeah, man…” Steven piped in. “That’s like, hella low move from his part. If you ask me, Damian has all the reasons to be pissed at his friend, not at you. Didn’t you say he’s like...reserved and stuff? So perhaps all that anger you saw was more aimed at that Chris guy, not at you.”

He raised his head to look at his friends. “You think so?” He got twin nods in reply.

“Hell yeah. And if by any slim chance he’s mad at you, then he doesn’t deserve to date my best buddy ever…” He yelped and tried to dodge the hands mussing up his hair even further. No such luck.

“Hmm give it another chance maybe? You said he’s reserved and sort of a lone wolf yet he’s taken time to go out with you. That’s a hella big deal for that sort of person, trust me.”

In the end of the day, he was glad he’d accepted his friends’ invitation for dinner. At least he felt a bit more hopeful over the whole thing.
 
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It took less than fifteen minutes from the time Damian was allowed entrance to the Governor's house before he walked out again, but when he offered a polite nod to the guard at the door, some of the rage simmering in the depths of his eyes had vanished. His steps were once again loose and comfortable as he slowly walked his way back towards his apartment.

Chris had been... appeasing. It hadn't taken the politician more than a split second to notice that Damian was angry, and for all he'd cultivated an iron face, even a random passerby would have been able to notice his nerves, let alone Damian himself. It didn't exactly surprise him. Chris was the only person alive who fully understood exactly what Damian was capable of, and having that kind of man enter your house angry would have been horrifying for anyone.

Damian hadn't wasted any time getting to the heart of the matter, and Chris was equally quick to apologize, backing down instantly and fully. Damian had watched him carefully as they'd spoken, tracking the emotions that crossed his face. Fear, bitterness, frustration, resignation, sorrow. The man had known exactly what he was doing when he'd gone to speak to Aslan, and he regretted it.

It was, Damian decided, sufficient. Chris had decided to try pushing the bounds of their relationship, and Damian had now made it clear that was unacceptable. Damian knew Chris was too intelligent and careful to continue pushing the issue now that Damian had made his stance clear, and he'd never known the governor to break his word.

His walk home was slow, but by the time he made it back to his apartment, Damian was fully relaxed again. As he sat down on his couch, he fished his phone out of his pocket, quickly pulling up Aslan's number.

I spoke to Chris. He promises he won't bother you again.

Damian sent the message, and was about to put his phone back in his pocket before he found himself hesitating. Today... hadn't gone well, and Damian knew it was mostly his fault. That put the impetus on him to try and make it better. He even had the perfect method, provided by Chris as a gesture of sincerity that he wanted to make up for his mistake, to both Damian and Aslan. He quickly typed in and sent another message.

I'm sorry today didn't go well. Would you like to try again? There's a play, opening night is next weekend. Would you like to go with me?

Letting out a slow breath, Damian set the phone back on the table, trying not to look at it. He grabbed one of the books he'd been reading, but only made it a few pages before he was finally forced to acknowledge his heart pounding in his chest.

Damian was nervous. At that moment, he was genuinely uncertain of what he would do if Aslan refused his offer. Of what he'd do if Aslan had realized he was not the sophisticated gentleman he always pretended to be. Somehow, in the time they'd spent together, it had gotten to the point where Damian wasn't sure he could simply walk away if it all fell apart.

Fingers tapping restlessly against his leg, Damian forced himself to take a slow, deep breath. There was no point agonizing over these things before anything even happened. Right now, he just had to wait.
 
After getting home Aslan decided a relaxing shower was in order after such a day. He took his time washing his hair and getting ready to sleep. When he got out of the bathroom he noticed his phone was flashing the light that signalled unread messages. He picked it up and swallowed dryly when he saw he had two unread messages from Damian. He sighed at the first, simple message. Well, at least he wouldn’t be dragged into strange games anymore. He had to do a double take at the second message before his countenance opened in a smile. Trust Stephen and Hanna to be right about these things. He typed as quickly as possible, noticing they’d been sent some time ago while he was in the shower.

I would love to! Thank you for the invitation =)

He pondered if he should add anything else but this seemed good enough. He wasn’t the best person for idle chatter via text and it would only make things more awkward. As far as he was concerned, the next weekend couldn’t happen fast enough.
 
Damian and Aslan did not meet again in the week that separated their date at the amusement park with Damian's promised play, but the dark haired man still made sure to regularly send text messages to the other young man. He could still feel a trace of lingering awkwardness between them, but Damian felt that the time and distance had done a lot to smooth out any remaining rough edges.

Different from how he'd spent his past several weeks, Damian didn't venture far afield in the week, spending a large majority of his time in his apartment. Likewise, he very pointedly turning down the several invitations Chris extended to him. He still hadn't completely forgiven the other man for his little stunt, and had no intention of re-starting their game until he'd made it more than clear that involving other people, and Aslan in particular, in their little spars was completely unacceptable.

However, the very fact that he hadn't left the city yet proved that, for all his bout of bad temper, Damian hadn't quit yet.

Unlike their previous dates, Damian didn't arrange to meet Aslan at their destination this time around. Instead, in some attempt to make the extra effort, Damian arrived at Aslan's house about an hour before the play's start time, nicely but not formally dressed in a white collar shirt, and black slacks and shoes.

By this point, the brief bout of nerves Damian had felt at the thought that Aslan might turn him down were long gone, and he greeted Aslan with a soft smile. "Ready to go?" he asked gently, hesitating for a moment, before offering a hand to Aslan.

More than anything, Damian had wanted to come pick Aslan up to give them time to talk, if the young man wanted. Text wasn't the most conducive environment for conversations, and it wasn't as though they'd have much time to talk during the play. Damian didn't intend to lay himself bare before the other man, but if he had anything he wanted to know, ask, or say, Damian wanted to make sure he had the opportunity.