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He Kisses With His Eyes Open

Not always. But often enough that you notice.

Usually in low light, when everything feels still. He’ll kiss you with his eyes open. Watching. Not romantic. Not possessive. Just… focused. Like he’s verifying something.

One night, you pull back mid-kiss and blink.

“Okay, creepy,” you say, half-laughing. “What are you watching me for?”

He doesn’t break his gaze. Then, almost to himself, he says:

“I didn’t want to miss anything.”

Testing It

Eventually, you feel a little daring. “I can do that too.”

He raises an eyebrow but says nothing.

So, you lean in and kiss him with your eyes wide open.

He notices, of course, and doesn’t blink. You try to hold his gaze..but it’s way too intense. You pull back, laughing awkwardly. “I can’t… I can’t do this.” you admit.

There’s a flicker in his expression—something between amusement and mild surprise.

“Well?” You prompt, a little flustered.

“You blinked.” he says, deadpan.

“Jesus,” you mutter, “You’re like a vampire. Nothing fazes you.”

That earns you the faintest, most self-satisfied grin.

The Back of His Hand is Strangely Tender

When he strokes your cheek, he uses the back of his hand. Not the palm. It’s strangely reverent. Like touching you too directly would make it real. Too real. He saves the palm for holding, for grounding you, for when you’re shaking.

His Wardrobe Reflects Another Era For Sure

Pressed shirts. Wool coats. Leather gloves. Collared sleepwear. He owns one dark turtleneck that you relentlessly pick at him for owning. You tease him about dressing like he’s about to deliver a lecture in 1963. He never takes the bait.

He Makes Breakfast in Silence

He wakes up early, as always, though he’s not often there. But when he is, he doesn’t slam cabinets or make noise. He moves through the kitchen with precise, graceful efficiency. Eggs, toast, coffee…. all laid out before you’ve even dressed. He doesn’t ask what you want. He already knows. And he never eats much himself.

He Does Laundry Like a Ritual

Neat, folded with an almost clinical calm. Your socks are rolled. Your shirts are arranged by shade. He never complains about it, just quietly takes over. Like ensuring your comfort gives him some semblance of control.

He Reads Next to You Instead of Watching TV

TV overstimulates him. But he’ll sit with you on the couch, a book in hand, letting you watch whatever you want while he sits beside you. He’ll glance up occasionally. Not at the screen, but at your face when you’re absorbed in it.

He Brushes Your Hair Sometimes. Not Out of Romance.

It starts when he notices you struggling with a knot. He takes the brush, wordless, and moves with methodical gentleness. He doesn’t speak while he does it. Just watches the way the strands shine when they fall right.

He’s Unbothered by Clutter..Unless It’s His Things

Your mess? Your half-drunk tea, clothes draped over the chair? He never comments. But if he leaves something out: a paper, a book….he returns it to its exact place with mechanical discipline. Chaos is fine. Just not his chaos.

He Tucks Things Into Your Space Without Telling You

A pressed flower between your journal pages. A book left on your bed with a passage underlined. A matchbook from a place you mentioned once. It’s never loud. Never announced. Just there, like he’s been weaving himself into your life strand by strand.

He Has a Specific Spot on the Couch and Always Sits There

It’s the one with the best view of the door. The wall to his back. He never comments on it. Never moves unless you ask. It’s a subtle instinct: self-protection wrapped in routine.

He Always Knows When Something’s Off. Even Mundane Stuff

“You didn’t write in your journal today.”

“You’re wearing the same clothes you did yesterday.”

He notices the smallest shifts and will mention them in a way that makes you feel both seen and slightly unnerved.

He Believes in Manners…but Only Certain Ones

He’ll kiss the back of your hand. He’ll stand when a woman enters the room. But he won’t say “bless you” when someone sneezes. He won’t bow to social conventions just because they’re expected. His etiquette is curated. Purposeful.

Technology Frustrates Him

He’s miraculously brilliant, but not modern. Phones, updates, apps…they irritate him. He has no patience for buffering, autocorrect, or interfaces designed to be ‘intuitive’. You find it a little funny. You might help set up his devices sometimes, muttering that for somebody who could probably write a thesis in his sleep, he really can’t work Bluetooth. He lets you. He even thanks you once.

You Call Him Out Without Ceremony

He’ll say something like, “That suits you. It has dignity.”

And you’ll blink. “What are you, some kind of Victorian grandpa?”

It never phases him. He’ll just smile, faintly amused, as if he’s been called worse.

He Hangs Your Jacket Without Being Asked

Every time you come home, he takes it from your shoulders and hangs it properly. No big gesture, just a smooth, wordless habit. He doesn’t like seeing things carelessly tossed, especially yours.

You Hate How He Doesn’t Text Back

It drives you insane. You’ll send:

“are you dead?”

“you better not be dead”

“you owe me dinner”

Only to find, three days later, a letter in your mailbox that begins with, 

“I read once that urgency ruins clarity…” 

You groan.

He Keeps a Mug That’s Clearly Not His

It’s chipped, mismatched, probably yours from years ago. But he uses it for tea when you’re not looking. There’s a faint comfort in it, even if he’d never admit that out loud.

He Reads Aloud in the Evenings Sometimes

If you’re tired or curled up next to him, he’ll read a passage aloud from whatever book he’s holding. His voice is low, unhurried. He rarely explains the meaning. He just lets the words hang in the air.

He Has One Designated Drawer That’s Just For Your Stuff

In his room, in his space. Filled with things such as hair ties, notes, backup meds, and half-melted chapsticks. No label. No fanfare. Just quietly yours.

He Doesn’t Know How to Ask for Space

Johan will never ask for space the way most people would. He’ll simply become distant, cold, or retreat emotionally until it’s obvious that something’s off. You learn this about him and give him the room he needs without question. You don’t pry, don’t force him to explain. But when he comes back, you’re there, always patient. You’ve learned that sometimes, his silence isn’t rejection. It’s just his way of recharging.

Sleeping

He’s restless at night. He rarely lets his mind settle. But if you’re asleep against him, he forces himself not to move a muscle, not to wake you. His body becomes tense, almost painfully still, just to accommodate your peace. He’ll stare up at the ceiling until morning if he has to.

He’s Not Good with Sleep

Johan rarely sleeps deeply. He doesn’t trust it. Nightmares slip through, and the silence of early morning makes his mind louder. You notice the way he stirs at the slightest noise, how his body stays tense even in rest. You’ve learned not to touch him when he’s asleep. Only to speak gently if he wakes. On the rare nights he sleeps soundly beside you, you treat it like a fragile miracle.

Little Verbal Glitches

Johan is eloquent, but every once in a while around you…especially when tired or distracted—he’ll say something quietly unpolished. A soft “Stay.” when you get up. A muttered “You’re warm.” if he brushes past you. These small, raw slips are rare, but more honest than any performance he could put on.

He Doesn’t Know How to Play

Games, teasing, inside jokes….they confuse him. He understands the rules, but not the joy. You show him by pulling him into your world: silly observations, harmless dares, questions that mean nothing and everything. At first, he humors you. Then he starts to respond. Not always with words. But with the curve of his lips. The gleam in his eyes. You can tell when he’s playing back.

If You Tell Him You Love Him

You say it one day when his guard is low—late night, quiet room, your voice hushed like you’re afraid it’ll spook him.

“I love you.”

You don’t expect him to say it back. Not really.

There’s a pause. Long enough to make your stomach twist.

Then:

“I know.”

He says. Simply. Calmly. No mockery, no warmth. Just fact. Like it’s something he’s known longer than you have.

People Watching and Making Up Stories

One of your stranger little habits together—sitting somewhere in public and making up fake, elaborate stories about random strangers passing by. Your stories are usually goofy and endearing, while Johan's are disturbingly insightful, often leaning toward something darker. But sometimes, he plays along with your lighter tone just to see your reaction.

He Doesn’t Laugh Often

fish !!!

neil is flaxen basic + marigold malachite + marigold glimmer, kevin is ice basic + ultramarine morph + ultramarine glimmer, and ryan is tangerine basic + ruby paisley + ruby glimmer. I wanted to give them all some cohesive genes, so they share a basic primary, have XYY colors, and a glimmer tertiary (I wanted to do runes but I liked how glimmer looked more). they get unique secondary genes because I wanted that to reflect their individual personalities more.

their eyes are earth common, nature unusual, and bright ice (I thought it would be funny).

all their eye colors are meant to represent as closely as possible their eye irl colors (or at least as accurate as I can get with a squint), but I think their actual assignments would be:

neil: lightning

kevin: earth

ryan: arcane

lightning flight makes the most sense for neil since it's the most technologically advanced flight and arcane was a bit of a no brainer for ryan, but I liked plague too if he didn't already have the association that made arcane work. kevin was a little more difficult since I was half tempted to make him nature, but the strength of earth made the most sense.

I really wanted to make neil a spiral because they're long and thin, but I couldn't really get it to work so I made him a fae. the kind eyes of a tundra just made sense for kevin, that one was a no brainer. I briefly thought about doing guardian for him, but it just felt too intense for his more light-hearted self. I made ryan an obelisk because of the mane and build, but I briefly thought about pearlcatcher and skydancer. ultimately my other two options just didn't fit his body type or hair all that well.