dappered | (no subject)

[ So.

It's been over a month, now, since Gamma's return to his world to find everything as he'd left it. They'd finished the fight against Byakuran, allied with the Vongola, and things have settled back into peace. Nuadoria seems sometimes like a dream except for the physical evidence, the brand still carved into his skin to prove its reality.

Uni doesn't speak of it, or doesn't remember, but she seems to know that something has changed with him. She let him resign as a Guardian with that sad understanding smile, let him wander Italy for a little bit to recover (to get over it, to get over him), and finally asked Gamma to oversee her home operations while she traveled to Japan. He couldn't refuse. She's not a little girl anymore and her decisions have the weight of the Sky Arcobaleno behind them, and as much as Gamma dislikes the Vongola he knows she's safe with them and doesn't need him around to glower and make biting comments.

So here he is, sitting at an Italian cafe and sipping his wine. The fate of the Millefiore had left a power vacuum that the Giglio Nero were in no position to take advantage of, and all kinds of lower families were making their presence felt. He's heard humors of another up and coming family, something with a lot of ties to the yakuza, and supposedly their boss is a powerful but reclusive young man barely out of his teens. Intel so far hadn't been able to produce any reliable images or even estimate the kid's abilities. The parallels are too close to the Gesso for Gamma to ignore it, hence his coming personally to do some reconnaissance. A little bird had told him that the Mezzanotte boss was here at this little block of commercial district today, was in fact in the restaurant across the street right now, and Gamma's hoping to get a glance at the kid himself.

If he can figure out which one he is. All Gamma has is a general description, dark hair, pretty, most importantly would be toting some kind of bag large enough to conceal a sword. ]

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[And he just finds himself standing there staring at the other's expression blankly, unable to show any sympathy for that look he was being given because he just couldn't possibly know what he was suffering from. But, he finds it disturbing that he feels a need to stand there until the other lets go rather than push him away and go about his business. Caim glances away finally, not willing to look at such an expression like he was the cause of it. So, to stare at gamma's hand instead is his next decision.]

"Did you follow me all the way from back there just to stare?"

[ The voice snaps him out of it.

(It's the same)

He lets go of Caim-- of the Mezzanotte boss's arm, stepping back and smoothing his expression over. He's a goddamn professional and this is just some crazy coincidence, this isn't Caim, it can't be Caim, it's just a stranger wearing Caim's face and speaking with Caim's voice.

Yeah. ]

My apologies. I thought you were someone I knew at first.

Are you alright?

[Huh. He looks at Gamma again, and although he might be suspicious he's pretty good at not showing it. In fact, he's probably be perfect at it in a few more years, but being so close to him it's easy to see that he is pretty young and thus isn't quite as disconnected with the world as true adults could be.]

I assume it would have been difficult for you to see that end unfortunately thinking I was someone you cared for.

I'm fine. Thank you.

[He isn't sure what else to say, though. Because he's never come in contact with this; never met a member of another family that was following him only to turn around and ask if he was all right.

He imagines that for this man that person had been important to him for such a seemingly drastic change in the ultimate goal.

—Ah. Politely:]

May I help you with something?

...

...

Yeah. Yes. [ He smiles way too cheerfully. ]

You could agree to let me buy you dessert.

...

[wtfwtfwtfwtf!!!1111]

...You want to buy me dessert. [does not comprehend.]

Well, I was pretty sure you'd already eaten lunch, or I'd offer to buy you that, and dinner is a long ways off. Plus there's the whole connotation thing, you know. Dinner is like, dinner, but lunch is more casual. Right? And it would be totally inappropriate for a complete stranger to ask you to dinner.

Unless you wanted me to.

... [ohmygod. the request is so out the blue and ridiculous that he can't help himself. He's got no choice but to accept because this is DEFINITELY the oddest "explanation" he's ever heard. Points for creativity, he guesses.

...And preventing him from getting hit by a car.]

If... that's what you really want.

[ CHARMING SMILE GO ]

I would like nothing better.

My name is Gamma.

[GD IT GAMMA.

He looks a bit caught off guard by the smile and glances away (but not before his cheeks flush a little), quickly putting another thought into his mind concerning the name.

Okay. Gamma, then. He's heard that name before.]

Caim.

[ He's braced for that, somehow. His smile freezes in place just for a second before he moves past it and offers his hand like they were ordinary people meeting on the street. ]

It's nice to meet you, Caim.

[ And maybe he hesitates, just a little, at the name. ]

[ He can't remember the last time he talked to anyone this much, nevermind politely.

It takes him a second, but he looks back to Gamma then to his hand before reaching to take it.]

...Pleasure's mine.

That's very kind of you to say.

[ He resists to call that blush back by bringing Caim's hand to his lips, contents himself with the ordinary and mundane handshake instead. And then indulges his own idiocy by linking his arm with Caim's, strolling off down the sidewalk with him in tow. ]

So.

[Annnndd Caim's pretty dumbfounded, realizing he's getting more and more confused the longer he stays in this other's presence. That's probably why he lets himself get dragged along.]

...So...?