middaeg | [OPEN] bite & arbeit

[ BRUSHING who even needs brushing when he can just tie it back. 👌 lighthearted enough to have eren press out a hm through subtly quirked lips.

eren’s claws drag lightly around the surface of the couch they’re close to, allowing the flick of his forked tongue to have a party in mapping out the new place. listen!!! he can tell a lot of monsters have been here. some witches, too. adjusting his mouth to the plethora of tastes and smells would come with a small smacking sound, tail still curly behind him.

maybe he’d sit a little. mindful of the extra appendage, sitting on the edge and allowing his tail to drape down like his legs do. ]

I think so. I don’t know what else I’d grow. [ he’s even got his full shift, now! and motions a little with the tail tip, quivering into wave before laxing. ] It’s like having an extra arm.

[ though, when he looks up and down, he doesn’t find anything extra, visibly. ]

You said you’d be more prepared for the full moon. Were you?

[ Makoto's eyes dart to Eren's tongue when it flicks out to smell the air. It reminds him. Of... well. It reminds him that Eren can probably smell many more lingering traces in here than Makoto can. Past guests, past spilled blood, the soap and vinegar that the bartender uses to keep the bar spotlessly clean and presentable.

Makoto motions for him to keep following him on the tour. ]

Yeah, I was. I owe a lot to you, y'know. [ Makoto looks up at him as they walk to the other side of the partition, smiling. ] I did a lot to prepare, but there's no replacement for a positive first time, from what I've heard from other vampires.

[ it’s a very interesting map that rivals time traveling. he only can’t smell into the future, but the past paints a picture. a smile is given in turn, as small as it may be. ]

You don’t owe me. [ it was positive for him too, there are no qualms there. his teeth begin to show the more his lips spread, and putting a hand on the other’s shoulder as they continued walking was an affectionate gesture on his part. ] Seeing you alright is satisfying as is.

[ Makoto turns his head to glance at the hand on his shoulder from behind his cascading bangs and then directs his gaze back up at Eren. The sight of his genuine smile relieves some of the concern Makoto has for his haggard appearance. ]

Good to see you're still such a flirt, Eren.

[ If he wants to ask him out or something, Makoto wouldn't mind. Grinning as he looks away, he stops in the hallway on the other side of the partition to gesture towards the cluster of small rooms, each doorway covered by a red velvet privacy curtain. ]

These are private stalls for groups or couples. There's a table and cushioned seats along the walls in each one. You could take a nap in there, easily.

Not a flirt, [ because he didn’t even actively try to flirt!!! but, there’s something better, ] just the truth.

[ he’s still, well. eren! and it takes a huge load for him to be dishonest, in a way. capability is there but the need to use it is not. eren’s hand slips off the other now in favor of brushing a hand down one of the curtains of an unoccupied slot. it’s nice space he sees and smells. ]

I wouldn’t be napping if I were here. [ naps are for dens, and bedrooms, here was a lovely place to socialize. pulling the curtain closed, eren disappears behind one of the rooms in a swift step, only leaving behind his tail. a very long tail. ]

[ If he really isn't flirting, then Makoto can't tell. Even that last comment strikes him as suggestive. Perhaps he simply has their last encounter still on his mind, or maybe he's simply attracted to him. Plus, there's the fact that his observation isn't far off. ]

Most people aren't. [ Makoto watches him disappear behind the curtain, except his tail, and smiles to himself as he steps forward. Standing just outside the curtain, he holds it closed with his hands but sticks his head into the gap. The scarlet curtain frames his white face. He's being a bit silly, and on purpose, too. Just because Eren isn't flirting on purpose doesn't mean he can't. ]

Not that we bother anyone who uses these rooms. It's not hard to tell what kinda stuff goes in in these. I suspect that's the reason they're here in the first place, if I'm honest, although the boss wouldn't admit it.

[ the second a head comes poking after him, his tail promptly curling into the other’s ankle with a tug, then disappears behind the curtains for good. spoiler: now he’s flirting. good thing that the hosts and bar owners keep these places spotless from floor to ceiling, eren almost can’t smell a thing of who used to be here and what could’ve been.

that’s good. ]

What’s private is private. Maybe we could try it out sometime.

[ Eren's tail slinks around his ankle, causing him to glance down and watch as it slips into the stall. When he look backs to Eren, his gaze is tinted with beguilement. ]

I'm supposed to be working right now.

[ He's teasing Eren, not truly objecting - his boss had happily let him take a break to talk to the dragon. Still, he's not sure they could get away with doing anything too messy or noisy, even assuming Makoto would feel willing to do the particular messy or noisy act. Not right now.

He ponders for a moment. ] ...I'll sit with you. But just for a while.

[ Pulling the curtain closed behind him, he climbs onto the wide cushioned seat beside him. ]

[ the tease is thrown back in return with a smile and relaxed eyes. he has to sit sideways, himself, to accompany tail space and let it drape along the cushions to the floor. ]

You’re on a break.

[ eren was responsible, makoto would find. any advancements beyond tender flirting wouldn’t be made, even with the safety of the curtains draped to mask their presence. the dragon would be the first to promote work over anything else. work was work. leisure was leisure. it’s why you have time for everything. or, should have a time for everything. he throws his head back for a second, stares at the ceiling, before turning to face makoto with his cheek smushed against the seat’s headrest. ]

—I like hanging out with you.

[ there seems to be more to it than just that, but his hand begins to unravel and rest loosely from his legs. ]

[ Makoto unbuckles his boots and slips them off. Once they've been tossed beneath the stall's table unceremoniously, he crosses his legs, feet beneath knees, and leans back.

His eyes are drawn to the motion of Eren's hands. There was something especially tender to what he just said. Makoto wonders, again, what exactly happened to him during the year he was "gone." ]

Same here. [ he glances up to meet Eren's eyes. ] You're mysterious. I don't know much about you, y'know. I guess you don't know much about me either. It's a good sign for us to be friends despite that.

[ hah, comes another breathless huff with endeared curves at the points where his lips meet to corners. eren doesn’t have shoes, long giving up on them ever since they’ve grown so draconically— he crosses one over the other, one stretched out while the other bends, and still whisking away like a cat’s is the needle tip of his tail. ]

That’s not the first time someone called me mysterious. [ and if that factor was an attracting point. it was funny, in a good way. he never really tried to be. the moment is tender and surprisingly warm, enough that a rare smile pulls into place as his chest fills, exhaling softly and letting his shoulders relax. ] You make me feel my age, honestly.

[ it’s been a while, he doesn’t remember the last time he felt how old he really was. by nine, he set his eyes on the military. by fourteen, he was in it. by nineteen— he was against the world. maybe dead, but not done. ]

[ Makoto studies him, watching his smile and the folding of his legs, the relaxed swish of his tail. Maybe he's willing to talk about himself. ]

How old are you? [ Makoto would guess that he's in his mid-twenties, although it's hard to tell when so much of his face and body is dragon instead of human. He could be much older than that. ]

I'm seventeen. [ glances at the ceiling for a moment. ] ...or, I guess, eighteen now. Huh. [ His birthday went by without him even realizing it. ]

Congrats. [ one more year of living! even if they’re both technically dead, life keeps moving if you’re still alive, right? ] I’m nineteen.

[ it probably doesn’t look like it— but maybe his body did age on a little more with the strain it hauled during the last ten years. ]

Means we could go out for a drink sometime.

[OPEN] bite & arbeit

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