Whew. Temp was still kind of sweating after his last date with Alexei Ivanov.

But he instantly relaxes when he spots Cillian Quinn. A cheeky grin lights up his face, followed by a raised brow at what he says.

"Hmm... I don't think my fiance would like me talking to such a handsome man...." But he tilts his head and just laughs, leaning back into his chair. His last bag of chocolates are pushed at Gavin.

Milksteak perks up from where he was chewing on a bone he had been given previously. A quick yip was given to Niamh in return, his tail wagging from where he sat. Temp, too, reached up try and ruffle her ears- from his pocket, a piece of wrapped jerky was pulled out and offered. She deserved it for all her hard work today.

"Nah, but I gave mine out to a few people. Jealous?"

"Where is he? I'll beat him up, too."

Gavin makes a show of glancing around as if the aforementioned fiancé might step out of the woodwork at any moment. When he glances back, he's smirking and Niamh looks exasperated with the both of them.

His eyes narrow. "Yes."

Gavin is, after all, a jealous person. But in this, it's mostly for show. They're engaged, and that's not a step Gavin would've taken without feeling like he could trust his partner. The playful glare subsides, though, when he remembers how strangely anxious Temp had seemed before approaching.

"Someone give you trouble?" Softer, now, edged with protective ferocity.

Tempest Quinn

A tongue stuck out. Jealousy? A red flag? Not for Temp! He just feels a little thrill at the admission.

"Mostly it was just connections for donations and the Gym. I did meet this blond lady and we're going to meet up and fistfight!"

Ah, damn, though. Even the chipper exclamation of his future plans with skyler dross don't get Cillian Quinn off his tail. He was kind of hoping the other would... forget. Or maybe not bring it up.

So Temp deflates, pouting. He rubs a hand over his face and groans.

"Nah, just awkward as hell." He pinches the bridge of his nose. "My last date was with my ex. First time I've seen him since we broke up."

"Only you could turn a speed date into a fistfight."

Fond, but no amount of fondness can cover up the concern he feels for his partner's well-being. So he asks, and though he seems reluctant, Temp does tell him after pouting a bit. Alexei Ivanov. Gavin's lips purse.

"I met him, too," he says of the gym leader. "He wasn't rude to you, was he?"

Alexei hadn't seemed the type but you never knew, with some people. And though Gavin doesn't make a show of offering to beat up Temp's actual ex as he had the 'potential suitors', there's a hard quality to his gaze that suggests he'd do just that if his partner was threatened. But Temp doesn't seem upset so much as uncomfortable.

"He's seeing someone, I think. Did he say...?"

Maybe that might put Temp at ease? Gavin's not sure how to navigate exes; he's never had to, before.

Tempest Quinn

"Oh, no, nothing like that." It's an uncomfortable thing now, too. Talking about your ex with your current partner.

"Just... weird. I've always felt kind of bad about how I broke up with him out of nowhere, I guess." A sigh and Temp rubs the back of his neck before shifting, leaning his elbows against the table. More intimate and closer to Cillian Quinn. Where he's able to lower his voice for just the two of them.

"I still care about him." Which was weird, also, to explain. So he's quick to continue. "I'm not... hmm. I think if we had stayed together, we would have been happy? But, like, I know I'm happier now than I would have been with him, even if he had made me happy. I don't still, like, love him or anything, I just don't want him to be sad, I guess." It was honestly a mess of feelings. That spark wasn't there anymore. He didn't long to kiss or hold Alexei like he did Gavin. But he didn't want him to suffer needlessly. Alexei deserved better than that.

"We mostly just caught up about old stuff. I'm glad he's seeing someone."

Perhaps surprisingly, Gavin seems to understand.

"That's how I feel about Emma."

Sorrow tinged with remorse, but never regret. He had always felt as if he were leading her astray down a path she no longer wanted to walk. She had sworn to stick by him in spite of it but he wasn't blind to how she'd looked at him, at Lugia.

"I still care about her, too. I hope she's all right, wherever she is."

Where Temp is leaning across the table, Gavin reaches out to take his hand.

"Alexei seems like he's getting on just fine."

Standing up as the bell dings, fingers still entwined with Temp's, he pulls his lover up and into his arms for a tight embrace. Comforting, he hopes, in ways his words might not achieve. Against his shoulder, Gavin mumbles, "Let's go home."

Tempest Quinn

Temp is glad that Cillian Quinn understands.

Love was hard. They'd both had to pave ways through broken hearts, their own and other's, before finding each other. While it still might sting, each step had just led them closer to one another, to where they belonged.

Temp takes his hand and feels better, squeezes before twining fingers. The hug is warm and accepted gratefully, warm arms circling the other.

"Yeah. Let's go."

A small smirk.

"If we hurry out the back, my fiance might not see us."

Playful mischief twinkles in his eyes as he goes in for a quick peck.