[ The laughing certainly didn't make the hue on his face any less intense, but the sound of it produced a very small and extremely bashful smile from Oswald. Was it at him or with him? He wasn't sure that mattered. He just wanted to hear it. As long as Ed was laughing everything felt a little better, even if it did only make him fall harder with every passing second. If only it had lasted. When it stopped the smile slipped away and he was left feeling vulnerable again. He wasn't sure how to respond. Oswald knew what he'd meant and sleep had indeed been the correct answer, but he paused. Ed was posing a riddle. For all of a millisecond he looked uncertain.
A penny dropped. His eyes widened. Oswald didn't need to hear the whole thing to know what the answer was. Where it was going. For a moment it felt like everything had completely frozen and nothing else around them was real. Ed... was telling him to kiss him? That couldn't be right. It sounded too good to be true. But would he invite such a thing to satisfy Oswald's desires alone? Ed was sacrificial, but he had never lied. Never led him on. Unable to find the words to ask what his heart was begging to know, Oswald searched his face, desperately looking to glean an answer from his gaze.
He found what he'd been looking for.
What had been in his hand was immediately dropped and forgotten. Before he could question himself any further he was just a breath away from Ed's face, staring more deeply into his eyes than he ever had before. There were no more questions to be asked; rather, there was one to answer. Oswald's gaze flickered downward and back up again, both gathering his courage and asking permission despite that it had already been given. It was now or never. He inhaled before he leaned in completely and closed his eyes, titling his head ever so slightly. Both hands found their way to the sides of Ed's face, completely in sync with the moment that their lips gently met. It was modest and without fanfare, but the emotion put into it was immense. If the first time they had been here was beautiful, this time was breathtaking. Oswald was helpless to hold back the urge to smile into it.
The butterflies weren't suffocating. They had died to the rest of the universe and ascended to paradise. ]
action;
A penny dropped. His eyes widened. Oswald didn't need to hear the whole thing to know what the answer was. Where it was going. For a moment it felt like everything had completely frozen and nothing else around them was real. Ed... was telling him to kiss him? That couldn't be right. It sounded too good to be true. But would he invite such a thing to satisfy Oswald's desires alone? Ed was sacrificial, but he had never lied. Never led him on. Unable to find the words to ask what his heart was begging to know, Oswald searched his face, desperately looking to glean an answer from his gaze.
He found what he'd been looking for.
What had been in his hand was immediately dropped and forgotten. Before he could question himself any further he was just a breath away from Ed's face, staring more deeply into his eyes than he ever had before. There were no more questions to be asked; rather, there was one to answer. Oswald's gaze flickered downward and back up again, both gathering his courage and asking permission despite that it had already been given. It was now or never. He inhaled before he leaned in completely and closed his eyes, titling his head ever so slightly. Both hands found their way to the sides of Ed's face, completely in sync with the moment that their lips gently met. It was modest and without fanfare, but the emotion put into it was immense. If the first time they had been here was beautiful, this time was breathtaking. Oswald was helpless to hold back the urge to smile into it.
The butterflies weren't suffocating. They had died to the rest of the universe and ascended to paradise. ]