The day wasn't supposed to be eventful, in fact, it was supposed to be quite the opposite. Even if Rook didn't exactly know how to do chill days. He didn't even have a real job, not really at least. No matter how much he tried to contest that there was some merit in his career, the reality was he was a human rat. He was a thief, there was no value in that. After having been caught and narrowly escaped from that embarrassing ordeal, he was willing to put it all behind him. He was willing to do that by stalking the guy that had caught him. It wasn't even for a terribly good reason, like checking on him to make sure no police report had been made. No... he was just curious.[break][break]
The guy was good looking, for sure. But that last thing he'd probably want to do was date the guy that tried to steal from him. Rook felt like an idiot, but that didn't deter him from continuing to follow the man like a lovesick dog. Maybe he could convince him that it'd all been a joke, a prank, or an audition for a play. That was really stupid though and no one would believe that.
[break][break]
"How does this sound...." He said down to Rosie, who was watching with her usual blank expression. "I know we might not have had the best first impression but.... no.. that was bad. I know I seem like was trying to steal from you but..... but I was. And you turned out to be hot so now I regret it, he's gonna think I'm an asshole... great." He was an asshole though, considering that was actually the closest thing to the truth.
[break][break]
Before he could consider what he was going to say, he was moving. There was ill-placed confidence in his stride, which was more so a stupid sense of invincibility. Maybe it would be better to get some stress out by dumpster diving. He could find him some cool stuff. No. No, he couldn't do that.
[break][break]
The door to the coffee shop nearly took him off the census. Pure luck was the only reason his nose wasn't taken off his face. He let out a surprised squeak, eyes wide as he stared at the same face that had stared at him in shock at the gallery. "Oh... yeah... that's me. Haha, so funny, right?" What was he doing?
[break][break]
"What? No, I'm not here to take anything from you... I was... wondering if you wanted... to maybe go out." The last few words were uttered at such a light volume that it was nearly incomprehensible.


[break][break]

+ lam logan | let him date you, lam!

“Uh, yeah. Hilarious.” Lam looked up at the other flatly. Considered asking him what he was doing there then if he wasn’t about to comb through his jacket pockets. But it was a public coffee shop, so…answer implied.[break][break]

It would be smarter to walk away now. Get away before he somehow wound up in trouble because of whatever hijinks this one caused. What he was not expecting, however, was the suggestion that followed.[break][break]

I was... wondering if you wanted... to maybe go out.[break][break]

Were his ears working correctly? Had he heard that right? In spite of his effort to remain impassive, Lam felt his heart set off at a nervous, uneven pace. “What, what?” He was stunned and confused, brain lagging as he tried to process if that was actually what he’d been asked. Right now. Date. Him?[break][break]

It definitely wasn’t the way to lead, given how they’d met. But there was this ridiculous charm that radiated off of the brunet, and Lam wasn’t sure if it was intentional or not, but against his better judgement, he felt himself be snagged by it. Color fanned over his face as he continued to stare with round eyes. “Have you been looking for me then, or do you ask out all your failed thievery attempts afterward?”[break][break]

It wasn’t a firm no, though, was it?[break][break]

Belatedly, he realized that lingering in the doorway was probably a bit of a hindrance, so he sidestepped around the other. Once out on the pavement, he cradled the warm paper cup between his hands. “Maybe you should start by asking my name first,” he said simply. And dagnaBIT, he had to fight the corner of his mouth from twitching upward in a smirk. [break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] Ikarus Rook | tfw when ur immediately down bad [break]

Well this was an unforgivable CATASTROPHE and, for once, he wasn't being dramatic. Rook couldn't exactly count himself among the debonair and smooth type, but he had enough usual charm to talk just about anyone into his hijinks. Yet, right then, he couldn't talk this guy into maybe entertaining a date with him? Sure, so maybe he had tried to rob him and that might have diminished his chances, but surely he could recover from that, right? This wasn't a lost cause, he hoped at least.
[break][break]
The way the other was gawking at him wasn't exactly assisting him with his stumbling confidence. Not that it was inherently the other's fault or anything. Rook stumbled, trying to catch this faltering attempt at a pick up (which was burning and crashing faster than a meteorite). 
[break][break]
"I wouldn't say looking for, exactly... but yeah I guess. What? No, this isn't... I don't really uh.. do this... much." That much was clear. He scratched at the back of his head nervously, letting loose an anxious little laugh. It sounded quite pathetic to his ears.
[break][break]
Truthfully, he was surprised the other hadn't yet slammed the door in his face. Instead, he slipped out the door until they were both in the same bubble of space. His name? He was an idiot, wasn't he?
[break][break]
"Oh yeah haha I guess I skipped that part. My name is Ikarus... Ikarus Rook, you can call me Rook though. And you are?" He might have already stalked him enough to know his address and social security number by that point.
[break][break]

+ lam logan | let him date you, lam!

“I can tell,” he replied simply, though it wasn’t necessarily in an unkind manner. Because really, he didn’t have much room to be talking. Besides the fact that he tended to handle advances with a terrible level of awkward rambling, Lam was still so new in the area. And on top of that, he’d gotten right to work and doing this interning stuff ran him a bit ragged.[break][break]

In all honesty, it was a bit lonesome. Lam could be content on his own–he’d always been independent in that way. But at the same time, connections could be nice. Particularly when he was alone in a whole new region without any old, familiar faces to habitually fall back on when the quiet got to be too much.[break][break]

So Lam would blame that lonely ache for his inability to turn the other man away. Yeah. That was totally it, and not because upon further scrutiny, he proved to be just as attractive as he’d thought before. (And it had only been a fleeting thought!! It wasn’t something he had dwelled on afterward…no way…)[break][break]

“Ikarus.” His head tilted as he tested the name out, rolling the syllables around on his tongue thoughtfully. “Well, if you’re not going to target me, Rook, I guess I can entertain the idea.” His brows lifted, chin tilting as if preceding a silent but… “If you can prove it’s worth my while.”[break][break]

If he was really interested, then he’d put the effort in, right? After all, he’d come looking for Lam. Or at least, had tried to put himself in a position to make a run-in more likely. He sighed then, shoulders sagging in slight resignation to the fact that he probably wasn’t about to work on his painting any more that evening. “Lam Logan. You’re lucky you’re cute.” [break][break]

[attr="class","milkcredit"] [attr="class","fas fa-cookie-bite"]

Rook felt... nervous. It had been quite some time since the last time he'd ever felt worried about something he'd done or said. For the most part, he was shameless and didn't often sit on his thoughts long enough to question his actions. However, right then, he could only wonder if maybe he could change the trajectory of this situation, but he couldn't. It wasn't like he could choose to un-steal from the other man. It wasn't like he regretted the act, but rather he hated the fact he didn't know that the curator was hot. Maybe that was a bit shallow, but he was a shallow person.
[break][break]
"Haha... I know, right?" He wasn't laughing because it was funny. He was laughing because he was embarrassed and uncomfortable and really wished all of this would just be over with already. It was pretty clear to him right then that the other man would rather do anything else other than go on a date with him. Frankly, Rook couldn't blame him for that. He was an idiot.
[break][break]
Rook was about ready to sink through the cracks in the floor, melt under the surface of the earth so that maybe he could ruminate over his mistakes alone. His shoulders were ready to sink and a despondent tone accentuated his voice. But then Lam didn't reject him, quite the opposite. Immediately, he perked up. "Really?"
[break][break]
Only if he could make it worth it? He wasn't entirely confident about that, but he could certainly try. Cute, he could feel a stupid smile form on his face, just the slightest ounce of heat in his cheeks. "Oh good... well do you wanna maybe go get food or a drink or I don't know we could just... walk or something."
[break][break]

+ lam logan | let him date you, lam!

“Nooooo, I just said sure for the sake of it,” he replied with a roll of his eyes. Despite his determination to remain a bit terse, that persistently crept to the corners of his mouth. “Yes, really. You want me to change my mind?” Maybe he should ease off a bit. It wasn’t really in Lam’s nature to be gruff anyway, and Rook was clearly a bit embarrassed by how this was playing out.[break][break]

But there was also a certain degree of fun in teasing him too.[break][break]

After all, he’d tried to make off with valuable work, so he couldn’t just get off totally scot free. Even if Lam was already pretty easily convinced that Rook wasn’t about to attempt thieving from him again. Maybe that was a little naive, but he liked to think he had a decent intuition when it came to knee jerk reactions. And from the way that Rook had bumbled through asking him out, it was kinda clear that that was his genuine intention. He might’ve still screamed tricky, or bad news. But for now, he could give a pass.[break][break]

Plus, how he was expected to deny how adorable it was when the other’s mood perked up–like an eager puppy being offered a treat. Like he was expecting to be shut down the whole time, and that it was a surprise that Lam deigned to spend time with him. That, in and of itself, was sorta flattering. Puffed Lam’s ego a bit more than it likely should.[break][break]

His head tilted in consideration, Glance shifting up above Rook’s head somewhere as he hummed. “Alright. Let’s go for a walk and if you impress me then maybe I just might let you buy me a drink. How’s that?” Lazily, he spun on his heels and began to walk in the opposite direction, a mildly shy smile in place as his stomach twisted with nerves. It was one thing to be going out, and another entirely to be acting like this was old hat for the playfulness of it. “You comin’?”
[break][break]

[attr="class","milkcredit"] [attr="class","fas fa-cookie-bite"]

Did he just score big time? He was a little caught off guard, clearly. As if the blank dumb stare wasn't enough, he had to babble like an idiot. "Oh.. yes, good. I'm glad. No, please don't change your mind. I swear I'm not all bad." He wanted to beam, do a dumb little dance. It wasn't like he asked out many people without the intent of robbing them later. It wasn't exactly his forte, in the least. Considering his day job was robbing far more talented people blind on a daily basis, well... he was a little surprised since the other knew of said day job.
[break][break]
Somehow, he was supposed to make it worth the effort and impress the other man too? That was a rather lofty task for someone like him. He didn't like the word sleazy in regards to himself, but maybe trashy was the better definition. He belonged in a dumpster, not walking beside a pretty man like this, right? It did inspire in him a sort of rush. Better to get things along before the other recognized he was wasting his time on a garbage person.
[break][break]
For now, his one job was to be impressive, which he wasn’t very good at. If anything all those auditions had proved the opposite and the only thing he excelled at was lying through his teeth. But either way, this too was an audition.
[break][break]
”Oh will you now? I guess I better work pretty hard huh?” He should say something charming or confident, like how he would have no problem doing that, but he wasn’t feeling too confident that he could. He jumped into realization, ”Oh.. yeah!” He laughed before jogging to catch up. ”Soooo… tell me about yourself, Lam.” He liked having permission to say his name, it felt nice.


[break][break]

+ lam logan | let him date you, lam!

Lam couldn’t help the quiet laugh that slipped loose at the dumbfounded look that Ikarus watched him with. It was light, sort of breezy. Effortless, his mind told him. And that wasn’t something that should be simply shrugged off. It was nice to feel that sort of natural reaction with. Though how Rook spurred it was a mystery to him. “Only a little bad then, yeah?” he teased, nose wrinkling.[break][break]

“Yeeeeeeeeep,” he answered simply with a tilt of his head, the ‘p’ at the end of the affirmative popping sharply. Though, that was a bit of a fib, wasn’t it? Lam wasn’t necessarily all that hard to get, really. He just didn’t usually go out of his way to seek out relationships. But as he’d said, Rook was cute (like super cute, in that roguish sort of way,) and he couldn’t help but be drawn in. That, and he was curious. It wasn’t like he’d never been hit on before, but…why him? A person he’d decidedly try to steal from?[break][break]

Had Lam made that much of an impression? He wanted to know more.[break][break]

It was almost a little difficult to believe this guy was a career thief–he was so…dorky? Was that the word he wanted? Lam wasn’t sure, but it wasn’t meant in a terrible way. It was endearing. Lam found the way he perked and scrambled to catch up as something sorta sweet. Enough to make his smile pull wider, but he covered it up with the lid of his coffee cup.[break][break]

Hearing his name in the other’s voice sent a thrill through him, reddening the tips of his ears a little. Silly, for something so small. “What do you want to know? I paint, obviously.” He snorted as he cast a sidelong glance at him, green eyes bright like gems in the fading light. “I’m not from Hoenn. Got here just before the dome went up. Can you guess where from, Rook?”[break][break]

His brow lifted with the question. It wasn’t like it was an obvious thing. Maybe it could be put together, considering the fading tan on his skin, and the freckles that peppered his face along with it. And he didn’t think he had much of a regional accent, but who knew? Regardless of how much his appearance told, it would be entertaining to see the other try.

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] Ikarus Rook | ……..now kith [break]

"In a sexy, bad to the bone way, but still down to cuddle and cry during sad movies." Why was he such a dork? He was definitely going to get rejected now. He could feel it. Sometimes, he found, it was better to simply shut up and smile, but Rook didn't know how to do that (clearly). Maybe he'd made a bad first impression, but surely he could redeem himself, right? Right?
[break][break]
So far as he could tell, things were going... okay? Like he couldn't completely tell, but Lam seemed somewhat charmed by him. Maybe it was in a pitying way, but Rook could do pitying. Pitying was great if it kept him in the game. "Yeah, though I haven't seen you paint." It did occur to him that he still wasn't sure if it had been Lam's work or someone else's that he tried to steal. "Uhh so that art back.. you know.. that wasn't yours was it?" Great, just bring it back up. Salt in the wound. Totally A-Okay.
[break][break]
He felt blinded, stupefied by this guy. He was just so damn pretty. He could barely seem to talk around him without sputtering up some stupid along with it. As the question was posed, he turned in his walk, spinning around to face him with a dramatic hmmmm. Studying the other, he stated. "Alola." He reminded him of a tropical bird so it seemed like a fair guess.
[break][break]
Little did he know he was about to blindly walk over a sudden dip in the sidewalk.
[break][break]

+ lam logan | let him date you, lam!

Lam couldn’t help the dumb little giggle that followed. Giggling. He was giggling. This guy was prompting reactions Lam hadn’t really been aware he was even capable of. “Not a bad combination, I don’t think.” He hid his smile behind the cup in his hand.[break][break]

He wasn’t expecting the subject to turn back toward their initial meeting. “You haven’t, but…kindof a given, you know?” he replied with a laugh. Which was directly followed by another, though the second was drier. “Oh, no. I’m just an intern. They won’t let me display my work yet.” There was a slightly bitter edge to his tone, though it wasn’t for Rook. He glanced over at him. “Still good I caught you, though. Would’ve probably cost me my job if stuff disappeared.”[break][break]

His brows rose sharply. “Oh, yeah. That’s right.” He wasn’t expecting a correct guess right off the bat, the surprise evident in his expression before a small, stupid smile took over. It was dumb–they’d only just met, and under less than favorable circumstances. It shouldn’t have been this easy to charm him. If this was all an act to get Lam on his good side, then Lam was done for. But something about the way Rook carried himself lowered his guard, and that intuitive side of his nature said it was okay.[break][break]

No matter the spiral of his internal dialogue, it all came to screeching halt the moment Rook took a wrong step.[break][break]

Without thinking about it, Lam dropped his coffee cup and darted forward as Rook began to tilt backward. First, his fingers snagged in his shirt, tugging him back enough so that his other arm could hook around his waist to pull him back up. “Gotchha..” The force of his tug pressed Rook close, and Lam found himself nose to nose with the taller man–peering up at him with his arm still snug around him.[break][break]

The proximity sunk in, and his heart began to stammer in his chest as he chewed on his bottom lip. He should have let him go, put some space between them again, but Lam found himself unable to. He was caught like a buneary in a snare, fixed on the bright red of Rook’s eyes. Even as the same color began to fan over his face rapidly, burning at his skin. Lam blinked a few times, ‘You okay?”

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] Ikarus Rook | ……..now kith [break]

There was a lot of embarrassment under everything, considering the first time he'd met the other man had been in the least appealing or attractive way possible. The fact that Lam was humoring him was probably because he was just extra nice or something, right? It didn't make a lot of sense, really. The guilt bubbled up as the other mentioned that, had he gotten away with it, he'd probably have gotten Lam fired. "Oh... yeah, guess you're right. I'm sorry bout that."
[break][break]
Rook wasn't completely dumb, he recognized the awkwardness of their being together clearly conflicted with their "hobbies". Rook wasn't about to quit stealing just because he happened to fancy a very pretty artist. It was about as unlikely as Lam accepting that he was a thief that stole people's hard work. Yet, Rook felt selfishly like maybe they could get over that anyways if they really liked one another.
[break][break]
"Oh wow, lucky guess." He laughed, realizing he was actually right. It had been random, somewhat provoked by little details. Rook was good about noting little dialects and regional differences. Liars usually were good at pinpointing details in people they wanted to manipulate, that was the sad truth.
[break][break]
He should've been paying attention then as they walked, but he wasn't. And that turned out to be... not such a bad thing after all.
[break][break]
As his weight shifted, he felt a shocked little sound leave his throat in an embarrassing way. This was preventable, he knew he was a natural klutz. Yet he hadn't anticipated the way the other responded or the sudden wrap of arms around him. Lam was surprisingly rather strong for an artist. That, or Rook was simply light as a scarecrow (more likely).
[break][break]
He felt his face heat up as they stood there, pressed close together. "Yeah, I'm okay... thanks to you. That was not at all planned, I promise." He cast a glance down. "Oh... your coffee, I'm sorry." Still, he did not step away. Why the hell would he?

[break][break]

+ lam logan | let him date you, lam!

Lam shook his head. “What’s done is done. It’s fine–nothing happened, so we’re good.” Maybe that was a little too forgiving, but something in him couldn’t help but easily forgive him. And he really did seem sorry to have potentially caused Lam trouble. As tricky and clever as he came off, Lam liked to think he could sense a genuine apology when he heard one. Hopefully it wasn’t the fact that he definitely wasn’t wholly thinking with his brain at that moment.[break][break]

He had a nice laugh, Lam decided then, as his heart fluttered at the sound. Delight over a correct guess. It shouldn’t have given him the thrill that it did, but there he was feeling dopey for having heard it all the same. Though he didn’t dwell on it for long as Rook stumbled. “I didn’t think it was,” he murmured, still fixed in place and holding him tight like he was still on the precipice of eating pavement.[break][break]

“Huh?” he asked belatedly, before he remembered the cup he’d dropped without question. His own eyes drifted sideways to where the remaining contents had splattered against the sidewalk, then snapped back to Rook’s. “Oh. It’s fine, I don’t care.” Why did he feel so breathless? Dumbly, his stare drifted down to his lips, then right back up when he realized himself and color broke loose across his cheeks.[break][break]

“Um.” A nervous laugh bubbled free as he let his arms slacken so that Rook could step free now that he’d been righted. But Lam still didn’t quite let go completely, or let his arms drop entirely, either. Like his brain had short-circuited and he no longer knew what to do with his hands, or even form some sort of sentence that made sense. He probably wanted Lam to let go, right? He wasn’t even moving, either, though.[break][break]

“Um,” he repeated so, so stupidly before charging into the first thing that came to mind. “Yeah, it doesn’t matter, cause you wanted to buy me a drink anyway, right? So it’s definitely okay. Super chill.”

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] Ikarus Rook | ………NOW KITH!!!! [break]

"Good..." He said a little too ecstatically, looking down then and biting his bottom lip. "Good, I'm glad we're good." That was good news right? Sure, it'd been rocky when he first "bumped" into him but as long as he wasn't holding his actions against him, he was okay, right? Or well... all he could really do was hope so that was what he was gonna do.
[break][break]
Granted, that was before he'd almost blasted his head on the pavement and Lam saved him. His fingers had gripped the other's coat, clinging to him to keep from falling backwards. Finally, he forced himself to relax into the other's arms and he found himself at an impasse. On one end, he really wanted to kiss him. The way those eyes lingered on his lips did not escape him or the hint of red burning on the tips of the other's ears. It was cute. He wanted to kiss him.
[break][break]
That would have been like the stuffy lovey contents of a romance book, which Rook was unashamedly about. Though part of him was also worried. He had never really attempted to charm anyone else and it wasn't exactly unfounded to claim that he was a bit cheap. The last thing he wanted to seem was cheap. Even then his fingers lingered a second longer on the other's sides. "My hero," He smiled.[break][break] "Guess I owe you a reward and then some, huh?" Instead, he opted to give him a kiss on the cheek before stepping back, this time more careful of the dip in the pavement. He took Lam's hand and led him toward the bar. It really wasn't anything special, but it was a step up from his more residual haunt which stunk of cigarette and possible homicide.
[break][break]
"What'll you have?"

[break][break]

+ lam logan | let him date you, lam!