#isde

Though it feels a little switched to have Esper lead him around the Velder square this time, hand gripping Infi’s in an almost possessive hold as he shows Infi shop after shop, always stopping in front of the windows to peer inside.

It’s no surprise that whenever Esper spots anything cat-themed, he has to go in and get it. It’s not like he can’t afford it. Not even an hour into their outing and Esper has a bag chock-full; he couldn’t pass up the cute cat-face hairbands when his hair had been getting long enough to put in a tiny ponytail; neither could he say no to the hand-painted shirts; and Infi couldn’t not buy him that big-ass cat plushie that doubled as a pillow, not when Esper’s eyes quite literally lit up when he saw it.

A few thousand ED to see Esper glowing, the widest smile adorning his face? That’s a deal Infi would agree to even at three in the morning, sleep-deprived and on the verge of passing out.

He’s still stuck in his little reverie when Esper grasps his hand, fingers squeezing as he drags Infi through the cobblestoned square. “I’ve never shown you my favorite cafe,” Esper says, a little giddy and a little breathless, and Infi doesn’t have it in him to remind Esper that out of the two of them, only one likes anything related to coffee, and his name sure as hell doesn’t start with an ‘E’. He’s losing a battle with a smile occupying his face, anyway.

He cafe turns out to be tucked away in one of the many alleys branching from the main square, and it’d be easy missable, if not for the — admittedly — cute banner protruding from the wall, a cheery yellow against the wooden structure.

There’s a bell that chimes overhead as they enter and as soon as the door closes after them, they’re engulfed in the tranquil atmosphere of the place. Dark wooden tables are set up with floral tablecloths, far enough apart that the three people scattered in the corners wouldn’t even eavesdrop on them. Probably.

Infi can see why it’s Esper’s favorite; with the light walls and pastel curtains letting in the natural sunlight, it seems to be the perfect place to sit down and think for a while.

Esper chooses a table for them while Infi is busy admiring the colorful decor. He chooses the one directly by the large window, overlooking the other side of the street.

“Do you sit here?” Infi asks, reclining on the chair, “When you come here by yourself, I mean.”

Esper nods, peering out the window. “I like this spot, it’s pretty.”

Infi bites back a remark — ‘not as pretty as you, hah!’ — and follows Esper’s line of sight to the outside. For some reason he’s not surprised to see a garden; a field of grass beneath a tall tree, no road in sight. The breeze is toying with the leaves, casting moving shadows and glittering spots of light onto the luck greenery. Daffodils sprout in the endless grass, thousands and thousands yellow spots scattered all over. They look soft and almost beckon to be laid in while swaying to and fro to the whims of the wind.

Infi doesn’t usually pay attention to such things — and how could he, when it usually doesn’t matter what’s around them as long as it’s not toxic or actively trying to eat them whole.

“Hey,” he says, tearing his eyes away from the spring display to find Esper’s gaze trained on him and him alone. Infi swallows, choking up a little as he looks at Esper, really looks at him for a second, frozen in the swaying sunlight that makes his eyes positively shine. He doesn’t look like a fierce warrior capable of tearing time and space itself at that moment; he looks like everything bright in Infi’s life at that one single point, pink cheeks and sharp teeth and all.

He feels compelled to lean over and kiss those plush lips, so he does, catching Esper off guard, if the little squeak he gasps out is anything to go by. Esper’s face colors an adorable shade of pink and Infi grins like a madman when he pulls away.

“Thanks you for showing me this place,” he says, leaning on his forearms. His face is set in a really sappy expression, probably. Esper squirms in his seat, averting his face; Infi can see the whites of his eyes turning dark. It’s so endearing to see Esper losing his composure over something so small.

The time traveler is saved further embarrassment when the server comes over to their table, fidgeting with her hands as she side eyes Infi, obviously favoring Esper’s side of the table.

“Hello, what can I get you?” she asks, tapping the tip of her pen against a notepad. She’s wearing a dark parron over a pastel green dress, a combination that both fits into and stands out in the cafe at the same time.

“Uh, I don’t know, I don’t really like uh—” Infi starts, but Esper pipes up to shut him up, chuckling.

“I’ll order for you,” he offers, and who is Infi to argue when the menu has five entire pages of coffee specialty bullshit he doesn’t understand a word of. Esper motions the server to lean down and she does so he can whisper something to her and she  nods, scribbling onto her notepad so she doesn’t forget the order. Esper flashes her a jagged grin that makes her recoil, but she goes to the back room to get their… whatever Esper ordered them.

“She seemed nervous,” Infi remarks, staring at the door that she disappeared behind.

“You’re well-known, dont’ you know?”

“But why would she be so nervous? Of me?”

“Rumors fly between people. I bet people heard you took in the dark El, and those who don’t know you don’t know you’re… yeah,” Esper trails off.

“I’m?...”

“Y’know… nice and sweet,” Esper mumbles, looking anywhere but at Infi.

Infi grins. “Aw, you just called me sweet!” her taunts, without any malice.

Esper’s face turns about ten shades more red. It’s really endearing, if Infi does say so himself.

“Shut up,” the time traveler grumbles. He’s positively pouting.

Infi can't get enough of his cute face, especially not now, but alas, his attention is pulled by the server that returns with a tray, carefully setting their order in front of them.

Infi gawks at the cute slice of cake she places before him, alongside a small tea kettle and a porcelain cup. The cake is pink, with whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles on top, and what appears to be vanilla cream in the middle. Esper had ordered himself a big black coffee, though Infi knows so little about coffee that it must have a four-word title that would give him a headache to even try and pronounce.

There’s also a cone of pistachio ice cream — that he can name, thank you very much! — complete with a small metallic holder to keep it up.

“Thanks,” he mumbles to the server and at least this time she doesn’t recoil from him.

Esper takes a sip of the coffee, ignoring that its still piping hot. Infi watches him do it with a mi of bewilderment and aversion, pouring himself the tea to cool down like a normal person. It smells amazing, but the only thing he can discern among it is apples.

“What’d you even order us?” he asks, lifting a fork to the cake to try it, “What is it?”

“She calls it a ‘piece of heaven’,” Esper laughs, “but I think it’s just a strawberry cake.”

Esper takes his cone from its little holder and licks a stripe of the green thing, licking his lips at the taste. Infi is dazzled by the bit at the corner of his mouth that he doesn’t get, eyes glued to the smile on those eact lips.

“Want some?” Esper asks, holding the cone out for him.

“Sure!” Infi says, excitement creeping into his voice. Instead of going for the cone, however he leans over and licks the spot off Esper’s lip with no hesitation.

Esper squeaks again, almost dropping the ice cream. His face is on fire when Infi pulls back, flashing a toothy grin. “Tastes great!” he exclaims, “But that might’ve just been you, so…”

Esper punches him in the upper arm with his free hand, hardly enough to hurt. “You’re an idiot.”

“Aww, but you liked it! Don’t even deny it, your cheeks look the same as my hair right now!”

Esper grumbles something under his breath, but he doesn’t actually deny it.

“I don’t mind cleaning you up when you get it on your face again,” Infi promises.

Esper steals the fork from his fingers with a swift move, grabbing a bit of the whipped cream from the cake. Before Infi can even realize it, he’s smearing it all over Infi’s lips and chin. There’s a shit-eating grin on his lips when sets the fork back down.

“Then I guess it’s only fair if I do the same, hm?”

Infi bursts into a laugh, taken aback by Esper’s quick wit once more. His heart kind of wants to get out of his chest and into Esper’s hands. But it’s already there, he supposes.