[attr="class","text"]

"Right," Klaus murmurs, sinking into himself and his chair. He gives a little shrug and answers in turn, "I deserved it, don't worry."
[break][break]
But then she keeps talking, and he shifts in his seat - while looking decidedly uncomfortable and shifty. "Don't worry about it," comes Klaus's answer, his cheeks decidedly red. "I gotta like, go," he hurriedly adds, unwilling to further discuss the absolute disaster of his non-existent love life. "Sorry for everything."
[break][break]
Not giving Marianne a chance to waylay him, Klaus shifts out of his seat and pays for their drinks before disappearing back into the bar.

[attr="class","ooc"][break]

[attr="class","text"]

It wasn't a date. It was just two dudes going to watch a movie and it was Klaus's turn to make breakfast/dinner for the pair and then Beau Fontaine would go home and they'd maybe do it again. Maybe go out to dinner next time.
[break][break]
Yeah.
[break][break]
What happened instead was Beau never came to the lighthouse and never opened the one text Klaus sent asking if he was still coming. Klaus totally didn't stay glued to his phone all day - not sleeping - and skip work that night as he waited for a reply.
[break][break]
So when he was absently checking one of the Rocket communication boards and someone asked if Zev Harcourt had been spied in the last day or so Klaus couldn't be held responsible when he replied with an emphatic "Yes," and told Rhys where to meet him.
[break][break]
The sun was setting on the firmament where Klaus crouched on the fire escape right outside Beau's apartment. "Hold the flashlight here," he grumbles at Rhys as he wedges a crowbar and leans against it to pop open the locked window.

[attr="class","ooc"][break]

[attr="class","text"]



[break][break]
Klaus blinks once, uncertainty touching his expression as he puzzles over Beau's words. He should leave, right? Like, that was the normal thing to do because he's pretty sure they aren't going to sit around cuddling despite the appeal.
[break][break]
His thoughts are abruptly interrupted, however, as he finds himself hauled into Beau's arms. An undignified noise sounds from the back of Klaus's throat before he parses what's happened, and a smile actually touches his lips; his hand lifts and he lightly pats Beau's shoulder without pulling away.
[break][break]
As he's released his smile widens, and he mumbles a quiet, "You're welcome," in return. "We should do this again sometime," he offers. At the lighthouse. Where the location is more isolated. Definitely more remote. Just the two of them. You could even watch the TV comfortably from Klaus's bed.
[break][break]
Yeah.
[break][break]
Shrugging deeper into his hoodie, and unsure what the fuck to do with his hands, Klaus ruffles Beau's hair as he stands and slinks out to return back to Lilycove.

[attr="class","ooc"][break]

[attr="class","text"]

Klaus's mouth hitches into an uncertain, if fond, smile at Beau's assertion. Not really he thinks to himself, his arm curling tighter around Beau for a brief moment. It's not for too much longer that the movie runs, its gory course finally at an end.
[break][break]
Uncertain how to proceed, Klaus finally mumbles a quiet, "I should probably like, go yeah?" His free hand fidgets with the hem of his hoodie before he seems to remember something; hand shoving into the pocket, he pulls out a green friend ball and displays it before Beau's face.
[break][break]
"I got you this," he chokes out, his face flaring a bright scarlet. "When I was in Kalos. I went to Galar too. I - I got you this." His arm still around Beau's shoulder, he jerkily withdraws it as he moves to hold the pokeball with both hands out to Beau.
[break][break]
Inside is a small Applin.

[attr="class","ooc"][break]

[attr="class","text"]

Easing against both the couch and Beau, Klaus's thumb idly strokes the other's shoulder as the The Sadness continues. He should probably just get up an stop the video so Beau could have his sanity back, but Klaus was selfish and this was the most physical contact he'd had with anyone in months.
[break][break]
Perhaps fortunately for Beau, Klaus is well acquainted with the movie's plot, and his free hand moves to cover Beau's eyes when the next violent scene plays out across the screen; he offers a soft shush as he does so, promising, "Your turn to trust me." He only removes his hand with the scene changes and blood is no longer scattered across the screen.
[break][break]
"Movie's almost over," he promises quietly.
[break][break]
He really doesn't want to leave when it ends.

[attr="class","ooc"][break]

[attr="class","text"]

Klaus arches his eyebrow as Marianne flusters and begins to defend the Galarian monarchy. He continues to look unimpressed as she assures him of the man in question's philanthropic work and bites out a clipped, "Sure," in response.
[break][break]
What follows, however, is not what he expected. What he expected was a pointed no - and then he'd buy the girl her drinks and leave because his skin already felt too tight on his frame. Instead what he comes face to face with is a ranting Marianne and a beer almost thrown in his face.
[break][break]
"Listen," he begins, his voice constricted with confusion. He stops abruptly as he starts, his finger lifting to tell Marianne to wait while he pulls out his phone - hopefully she decides not to follow throw on that beer throwing.
[break][break]
His thumbs tap over his phone's screen, and a few minutes later he lets out a strangled laugh as he realises his mistake. "Wrong status," he manages. "I set the wrong status. That's - that's on me. I'm an asshole."
[break][break]
He looks pale and miserable as Marianne makes to leave, his slender frame slumping back into his seat as he looks up at the ceiling. "I'm -meeting a - guy - later," Klaus offers awkwardly, his throat skewed up tight. "We're like. Friends, I guess. I don't know what we are. It's whatever. I was -" his voice falters and he merely goes silent as he peels himself back into a seated position and he gives up on explaining himself.
[break][break]
"I'll pay for your taxi. Sorry about... all of this."

[attr="class","ooc"][break]

[attr="class","text"]

Lounging on the couch like he belongs there, one arm thrown over the back hapazardly, Klaus catches Beau's almost nervous glance during the beginning of the movie. He flashes a wide smile.
[break][break]
It doesn't take long - there's a beat of darkness on the screen, and then a jumpscare that sends Beau running into his arms just as he'd planned. Klaus doesn't immediately say anything as Beau buries his face; instead, he slips his arm from the back of the couch to curl around Beau's shoulders and carefully pulls him closer.
[break][break]
"It can't hurt you," Klaus murmurs reassuringly as he leans down, his lips brushing Beau's ear as he speaks. He blushes faintly, his arm keeping tightly around Beau's shoulders, and doesn't move.

[attr="class","ooc"][break]

[attr="class","text"]

He should really offer to help, but Klaus instead watches Beau stack their plates into tidy enough piles. His mouth hitches into a half-apologetic smile and he grumbles a good natured, "Yeah, yeah. Whatever," as Beau ribs him about trust.
[break][break]
Standing, his hands shoving into the pouch of his hoodie, he fiddles with the small pokeball hidden there as he follows Beau into the living room. He hovers near the doorway of the kitchen as he watches Beau sit on the couch and dig for a remote.
[break][break]
Klaus muses that he may or may not have used horrific movie nights with dates in the past to good effect. This was certainly his chance to back out now. Or he could find out if Beau was as much of an absolute baby about gore as he was hinging on.
[break][break]
"It's only an hour and a half long," he assures Beau with a smile that, under any other circumstance, might have been reassuring.
[break][break]
He plops down on the couch beside Beau - not too far away but far enough to be considered polite - and waits.

[attr="class","ooc"][break]

[attr="class","text"]

Klaus stares at the stack of pancakes placed before him, his gaze only lifting when the butter and bottle of syrup make an appearance. He offers an awkward shrug at Beau's words and mutters a quiet, "It's fine, whatever."
[break][break]
Moving finally, he places a slab of butter on the pancakes and then douses them with syrup. Hesitating for a bare moment - he's pretty sure he didn't see Beau throw anything in that could kill him in one fell swoop - Klaus cuts off a piece of pancake with the edge of his fork and takes a bite.
[break][break]
"This is really good!" he says, somewhat shocked and somewhat relieved at the same time. He tucks into his meal, the plate soon empty safe for some splotches of syrup. "Thanks for-" Klaus trails off as he considers the time, and then offers with a half-smile, "I guess this is dinner for me."
[break][break]
"Are you still up for the movie?" He didn't want to impose; except he totally did.

[attr="class","ooc"][break]

[attr="class","text"]

"Fucking shit," Klaus exclaims in surprise as a pancake lands on the floor, his eyes wide. His trust is Beau's cooking plummeting in an instance, he eyes the man dubiously as a new pancake is formed in the skillet.
[break][break]
He flushes somewhat at the memory of said date and shakes his head, looking away. "It was just shit," Klaus replies - mumbles really - while looking embarrassed. "I made an ass out of myself."
[break][break]
Shrugging away his thoughts, he says instead, "You sure you know what you're doing over there?" The last thing he wanted was food poisoning. "I can help?"

[attr="class","ooc"][break]

[attr="class","text"]

"Yes," Klaus says a touch blankly as he watches Marianne's expression. She clearly didn't like beer. Why was she drinking it?
[break][break]
His expression blanks further and he then scoffs at the mention of royalty. Flippantly, Klaus replies, "Hoenn is a democracy, who cares what those inbred fucks are doing." He pauses as his words catch up with him, and he carefully adds for Marianne's benefit, "I'm sure he's like. Nice or whatever. Yeah. And the exbibit's great."
[break][break]
Klaus pinches at his eyes for a moment and draws a deep breath before he says more than asks, "We're not fucking tonight, are we?"

[attr="class","ooc"][break]