perfectmatch | week three

[ luka smiles, not that she can see it. but he smiles nonetheless because she trusts him and that makes his heart beat ever so slightly faster.

she'll hear him rummaging for something with his free hand in his pocket (maybe this is why he wore bottoms that are arguably more pants than a beach cover up), before he pulls back the hand in hers. only because he needs both his hands for this.

something cool wraps around her wrist, a bracelet which luka hooks with a simple clasp. a bracelet made of pallacite that glimmers under the sunny skies above. ]

You can open your eyes now. [ he will, thankfully, explain without being prompted for once. ]

I know I'm not a penguin and neither are you~. And these aren't pebbles but a piece of a meteorite, a pallasite. But—

[ but he is comically simple-minded at times and that talk about penguins and their courtship has been rotating around in his mind since. who knows if he'll ever admit it, but he doesn't know how to actually court anyone; he knows how to flirt, he knows how to be provocative, but these are all things he does without any actual feeling behind them. the real deal? he has no clue!

so he might as well follow the example of penguins because she seemed to like it and this is all he has. ]

—I am courting you. Just don't ask me to flop into the water like they did.

[ it wouldn't look graceful at all and while he can swim, he definitely can't swim anywhere near as well as a penguin. ]

[ Maya blinks at the bracelet when she opens her eyes, turning her wrist this way and that in utter fascination to see how the pallacite catches the light of the sun. It's... ]

Luka, this is beautiful. I didn't think meteor pieces could be used like this.

[ But it really is... gorgeous. Honestly, she's a little overwhelmed, but not in the same sense of him confessing to her last week, but in just how simple and yet how thoughtful a gesture this is. ]

I didn't expect the penguin treatment, either.

I'm glad you like it.

[ he bounces a little in place because this is a good moment. ]

Should I court you more like a human? [ is this a genuine question? it's one he asks with a happy smile on his face either way. ]

... I'm not even sure what that looks like. Aside from writing articles about it. Courting for people's a matter of preference, so there are a ton of different ways to do it.

[ Maya, this is not something to ponder. ]

[ pfft, that gets a chuckle out of him.

it's cute, she's so cute.

as mentioned he's just as clueless, but he is also himself so—

he'll take her hands again in his, threading them together with a light squeeze. ]

I have an idea. [ he debates for a moment, but he remembers last time. ]

Can I kiss you?

...

Luka, I'm not really going to be able to focus on this date if you kiss me like you did last time.

[ Like. The calmest ferocity in the world. ]

[ luka thinks that might be the point, but he doesn't say that. instead he tugs her a little closer and dips down. their lips are close, near brushing but he won't press forward yet, out of sheer force of will. ]

This'll be different. Trust me?

[ he could say more and he has a lot more to say for once, but this is far easier to show. plus he's wanted to kiss her for a whole week but he waited because he thought he should, but it's kind of killing him. ]

[ There is the (probably clear) mental debate of whether this is a good idea, when she still isn't entirely sure of her own feelings. But this is what this show is for, right? To help figure that out? To encourage romance?

And he says it will be "different", and she doesn't know what that means, necessarily, but.

Maya takes a breath after an uncertain second, and it's already hard to focus when he's this close, but-- ]

Okay.

[ when they kissed the first time, he was on a mission. no matter how you frame it, luka is just a good kisser—it's a skill like any other, and one he trained in due to his circumstances. and while you have to infuse a little emotion into it, all the kisses he's done so far (done in years) have been very professional. even if they've been slutty, beyond the initial heat, there's been no real emotion behind them.

that's why he knows this will be different, because he actually wants to kiss her. not to win at a game, not to put on a show, not to appease the crowd or his score. he just wants to do it for himself, just luka.

he closes the distance without hesitation, because that's just who he is. he's smiling into the kiss as he does because that's another thing that just is, he's happy with her. the kiss still has some heat to it (sorry, he still thinks she looks beautiful as she is, in her oversized t-shirt), but it's more than that. it's gentle, warm, and not a weapon of war but heartfelt. he takes it slow for the both of them; he's not breaking this kiss first. ]

[ Oh.

Well, he did say "different", didn't he? Maya is braced to, like. I don't know, latch on if he tries to dip her or suck in enough air in case he siphons it out, but. What she isn't braced for is for him to kiss her so gently??

Everything is a surprise with this man, she's very quickly realizing. But it's warm and he's smiling and it's so different from the first time that when Maya draws back, slowly, pondering--she laughs, a little breathlessly. ]

You really weren't attracted to me at all during that party game, huh?

[ help, well he can do that if that's what she wants later--

his cheeks are ever so slightly dusted pink! ]

I wasn't attracted to anyone then. I told you that I only like-like you, remember? That's not changing either, I haven't actually liked someone since I was little.

[ she could throw him in the ocean and leave him to drown and he'd feel the same. ]

Did you want to know why?

[ since it looks like he surprised her again, he offers this since he feels like he probably could explain better. ]

... I should probably ask for your thoughts on it, yeah.

[ Just. She's so bewildered by it. Obviously. ]

[ since this is something he's offering impromptu, it's probably going to be simple luka hours all the way down. but it's not like he's shy, so.

he squeezes her hands before he begins. ]

I started to like you right after we kissed. [ which is kind of funny when you come to think of it, that the kissing didn't matter at all but the conversation after did. ]

I like you because you're determined, confident, and assured in your convictions. You have a beautiful smile and laugh, and you dress however you want without being self-conscious of it.

I like going on dates with you and learning something new every time.

[ normal things, easy things. ]

But what I really like about you... [ a slight pause, because this is difficult for him to get into words. but as always, no matter what, he pushes through anyway. ]

You don't pressure me, you have no expectations of me. I think you might actually like me for who I am, when no one else does. You make me want to reach out to others even though I haven't done that since I was little.

You're strong, but I want to be there for you when you don't want to be anymore. I don't understand a lot about human life, but I'm a fast learner. And I want to protect you from anything that could hurt you—even yourself.

[ because their talk that night has stuck with him, even if he doesn't understand the context and might never understand. ]

I won't forget you even if you or the universe demands it of me.

week three | dates

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