Friday, 1930 on the dot, Ronan stood in front of Cael's door, dressed in clothes that, while not out of the usual for him, were at least in better shape than most: his navy longsleeve hadn't yet gone through the wash often enough to become transparent, the jeans weren't worn out, and his hair was as much in place as it ever would be, though the five o'clock shadow had stayed. At no point in their acquaintance had Ronan ever been concerned about how he looked or even behaved, which was a peculiar luxury that came with having already shot the guy (it wasn't like he could leave a much worse impression than that, could he?), so it felt all the stranger now to have put any thought at all into his looks, but, well.

This evening was a little different from their usual fare.

It hadn't technically been that long since Ronan's last date, as long as he counted the gala. The gala, of course, had been such an unprecedented disaster, it barely seemed appropriate to call it a date now--it certainly wasn't the first association he had with the evening anymore. This, however? This was a date. No uncertainty about it. Not with how often Cael had thrown the word around, to the point where Ronan had wondered if he was waiting for him to contradict him, but no. This was a date and they both knew it.

He wasn't nervous, not really. They had shared dinner probably half a dozen times, shared breakfast more times than Ro cared to ever count, and spent more time together than should be reasonable. Spending one more dinner together wasn't that strange, in itself, and whatever cocktail of nerves he would usually have associated with going on a date had yet to manifest itself. Instead, he was simply ... excited about this. Had looked forward to, ever since they had agreed to it, and he had kicked the idea around longer than that.

It was a date, yes, but more than that it was simply an admission of something they had both been toeing, if much less subtly so the past week, and putting it out in the open.

They shouldn't, of course. Ronan knew that. Cael knew that. The consequences for the whole thing were so laughably severe, neither of them should even have entertained the thought at all, and yet... Ronan rarely did anything reckless, and as much as it surprised him that this was what he decided to screw all the risks over, he had no intention of pulling back now.

Not letting himself in was unusual at this point, but as manners would have it, Ronan knocked on Cael's door, before he stepped back and waited, momentarily fidgeting with his sleeves before pushing them up over his elbows and crossing his arms over his chest, looking as dour as ever.

So maybe there were some nerves, but it was far too late to pretend he had no stake in this.

There was a lot that Cael liked to think he picked up on about Ronan with a fair amount of accuracy, but he had kept calling it a date because that particular one he wanted to be sure he wasn't misreading. Plus, maybe to some extent to give Ronan a chance to back out, an are you sure? without having to ask in those words. Because, really, there was a considerable amount for both of them to lose. It would have made perfect sense to not pursue, to simply remain whatever they were as neighbors.

Cael wouldn't have really minded that, either. He had already previously resigned himself to the idea that whatever he felt about Ronan, it was none of Ronan's business, much less anyone else's, and would have simply continued to enjoy whatever oddly frequent company they spent together. That he didn't have to, that this really was something between them made him a whole cocktail of unexpected emotions: happy, nervous, excited, and terribly fond. It was awful.

As someone who rarely admitted genuine emotion, the extent to which he wanted this for himself was ridiculous. The whole thing, not only their date tonight, but there was something especially nice about it. So he had made sure to be ready on time, dressing nicer than usual which mostly consisted of wearing jeans that weren't ripped and a shirt with buttons, though with the top ones undone and with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows so he didn't feel overdressed. His hair was a mess, maybe more purposefully arranged than usual. He never considered himself a particularly vain person, but. If ever there was going to be a time.

His lips curved into an irrepressible smile when the knock came. One that he did try to tone down into something more of a smirk because it felt like a lot to wear on his face. Still, his eyes were alight as he opened the door, and he let himself look Ronan over more openly than Cael would have previously dared. Ronan really was unreasonably attractive, whatever he wore and dour as ever, and it had become an increasingly distracting problem, especially lately. But all Cael said was, "Punctual as always," as he stepped out into the hallway. He lingered a moment in Ro's space, simply because he could, before he checked to make sure he had his keycard and to lock the door--the latter maybe more showily than was strictly necessary if simply to prove a point.

Bumping his shoulder against Ronan's, Cael headed down the hall, letting himself grin wide. "It's a bit of a walk, but want to just go that way? Since I heard some of the tram got destroyed, and it's not like it won't be a nice night out." The last was said with some sarcasm, as always, as they got into the elevator and made their way down and out the building.

"A decade or so in the military will do that to you. You should give it a shot." Ronan raised an eyebrow, the small, amused smile on his lips almost instantaneous the moment Cael stepped out. It wouldn't have mattered to him what Cael wore, of course, but the fact that he had put in effort didn't go unnoticed or unappreciated, taking shape in the form of an unexpected warmth in his chest, and if his gaze lingered a little longer than was perfectly acceptable, well. He did briefly, just briefly, consider saying fuck it to dinner specifically to stay in instead, then beat the temptation back again (not for the first time, probably not the last), though he acknowledged it with a small smirk--they had made it this far, they could make it through one more dinner like civilized people.

As hard as turning down Cael's offers for some ... hands-on assistance had already been, it had been important to Ronan to do this the proper way. Not only because he could be unsurprisingly old-fashioned about these things, not that he ever pursued them much, but because as much as he had tried to wave it off as such, this wasn't some fleeting, physical attraction; this was something that mattered to him, and as terrible as Ronan was with voicing these things, taking the official route for this was his way of trying to convey as much.

If the inherent risk involved in it all didn't already speak for itself.

It had been by the same token that being the one to suggest this had mattered to him, even if that had gone a little more roundabout than intended, with Cael picking up on it before Ronan had directly said as much. The accusation that he simply said yes to everything still sat uneasy with him, and this was something he wasn't just saying yes to--this was something he wanted, for better or worse. And quite badly so.

"Let's. No downpours on the horizon." Ronan fell into step with Cael easily, sidestepping the damages that hadn't been addressed by anyone yet on their walk habitually at this point, and steered them in the direction of the restaurant once outside their building. "That was Beemo's doing, apparently. He's very proud of his handiwork." It was still strange to have acquaintances, friends, in common, beyond whatever lamenting they had done over the station's baffling smallness that kept catching up to them, but it wasn't bad. Just odd, the way things were entangled now. "Not that I think I'd have to tell you, but I can't recommend crossing him."

There was a substantial amount of admitted impatience on Cael's part at this point, but Ronan's insistence on them going on an official date was... sweet wasn't the right word, exactly, since it was insufficient. Meaningful was closer. He didn't personally altogether think it was necessary, as he didn't have much doubt about Ro's intentions. Given how paranoid and pragmatic he tended to be, it seemed highly unlikely that he would simply be doing this on whim, so when he had asked at all--suggested broadly, technically, but Cael counted it as asking--seemed indicative enough.

Still, the whole thing made Cael very warm and he was glad that they were going.

"Oh yeah, Fletcher mentioned that. I haven't known Beemo for long, but it somehow isn't surprising," he said, following along. He had a vague idea of where Steam was, but he had assumed Ronan would lead anyway. Their continual social overlap continued to be a bit strange, but comparatively, this was far less awkward, at least to Cael. He had checked in on Fletcher a bit--something that he hoped did not get back to Ronan anytime soon, ruined as Cael's reputation already was--simply because he was someone that Ronan obviously cared about. "I almost finished making Beemo's goose button anyway, since I'm not above bribery to stay on his good side."

Signs of the past couple weeks' upheaval lingered, though nowhere near as bad as in Lowtown. Even with that, there was something nice about being able to stroll without having to be on high alert for surprise rodents or vines. Not that Cael wasn't vaguely prepared for those things now in the back of his mind, but mostly he kept stealing glances over at Ronan and smiling to himself. "Gotta say, it is nice to be out without anything unexpected trying to eat us, though I won't be suggesting we take an after dinner stroll in the park." Not only for the murderous plants reason, but. That was more implied. Heavily.

Reaching their destination, Cael held the door open for Ronan--Cael's manners might be occasionally lacking, they weren't that terrible--hand brushing the small of his back as he followed in after him. Cael wasn't much of a PDA person and he'd be surprised if Ro turned out to be one, but the urge to touch him, even if passingly, was difficult to ignore. Cael let Ro handle talking to the host, unsure if he'd gone so far as to make a reservation, then followed along as they were shown to their table. "Have you been here before?" he asked, curious mostly, as they settled in.

"Smart. If I had figured out what to bribe him with, I might have saved myself years of headaches." When it came to people in his life that mattered to him, Fletch did trump just about all of them, and he had even before they had both gotten to prove that they would, in fact, die for the other--that he was now someone in Cael's periphery, too, was strange, and he had briefly wondered whether it should bother him, but had found it somehow didn't.

The touch didn't unnoticed, and it put a small, private smile on his face, even if it was mostly to himself. Of course Ronan had made reservations. He had toyed with the idea of asking Cael out for a few weeks now, even if he would never own up to that fact, so leaving whether they would get a table was not something they would leave up to chance. "I haven't, no. Not going out to dinners like this much." Which covered both dates and simply going out to proper dinners alike, and in his few months on Terminus he had seen more diners and takeout than, well, this. "You?"

They were led to a small table, past more patrons than Ronan would have expected considering the weeks Terminus had had, and the space, to his relief, was nice without being overly fancy--at the sight of candles, he was pretty sure he would have had to turn around and leave. There weren't, luckily, and they weren't underdressed for the place, either. He settled into the seat opposite Cael, then lit up the holographic menu to skim it, adding a little more light to their table, and barely skimmed over it before he raised his eyes to look up at Cael across the table.

This was ... nice, and not only because Cael was, undeniably so, pleasant to look at. Maybe it should have been strange, the two of them in a setting like this, but it somehow wasn't, and maybe that was the strangest part of it all. They had joked about getting wined and dined before, more than once, but-- "I genuinely enjoy wine, but I don't actually know about you," he pointed out, one eyebrow raised in implied question, though if it came to pairing wine with meals, Ronan would be out of his depth, but it wasn't like he was worried that this were the kind of people they were. "And I'm not sure I've even had any since my last vacation, so."

Cael shook his head. "I'm not a dinner date sort of guy for just anyone, you know." The words were said with a grin, but that was the truth. Dating wasn't anything he cared to pursue most of the time, from both disinterest and an almost pathological aversion to vulnerability that came with admitting he cared at all--that he and Ro had already slid past both of those things through a combination of drink umbrellas, shared cigarettes, and just the nature of their history was odd, but in a very good way.

Pulling up his own menu, Cael glanced over at Ro, only to meet his gaze. Cael's heart did a pleasant flutter and he didn't bother holding back his smile, warmth spreading through him, both from the way Ro looked at him and the 'wining' part of the evening. "I also enjoy wine," he said. "I'll let you pick, unless you want me to select something at random from the middle." Not that he figured Ro had any more ideas on what wine paired with anything, but opinions weren't generally anything ever in short supply between them, so there was always a chance. "I do want to try this fig and goat cheese thing though."

Once they had made the rest of their selections and input their orders, Cael dismissed his menu and returned his attention fully to Ronan. There was something nice about being able to do so openly, rather than furtively, and Cael was still getting used to no longer trying to bury whatever he was feeling deep. By this point, he was far beyond being able to play any of this cool. The arrival of their waiter drew Cael's gaze away, offering a reflexive 'thanks' as he poured their wine for them.

"Cheers, to avoiding disaster long enough to make it here," Cael said, lifting his glass with a grin. Especially this past week, but really. Looking at their lives, they could both be doing much worse. "Have any idea when you'll want your next vacation to be?" The idea in general had been on his mind, between the one--two punch of deserted island and lockdown, but he also wasn't really in any hurry to get away now that more pleasant developments had occurred, though he'd been vaguely threatened with one by their captain with yet no additional follow up.

The wine was, in fact, a mid-range red, and Ronan raised his glass in turn. "Cheers." There was a small smile on his face, both fond and amused. It had been incredibly nice to have this to look forward to throughout the chaos, even if it had been with some uncertainty at first, but that element had disappeared before long and, well. Here they were. The two most unlikely people to go on a date just a few months ago, sharing a bottle of wine. A strange turn of events, but--Ronan couldn't deny that he was feeling rather pleassantly warm and happy with it all.

"I usually vacation every other year, so I'm not really due for a while yet." The amount of free time he had ever since signing on with the Endeavor was completely unprecedented for him, and he still hadn't figured out how to deal with it, even after four months on the station. It probably didn't help that the missions he had gone on had been ripe with trauma, to the point where he avoided being alone for too long stretches of time--actively dealing with a catastrophe was much easier for him, and the plantpocalypse had kept him plenty busy, not pleasantly so, but at least it didn't leave him alone with his thoughts.

"What did you have in mind? More tourist traps on Antillia?" Asked with an arch of his brow, then momentarily interruped when appetizers arrived and he thanked their waiter, and, really, maybe the sit-down dinner part was stranger than the company. They had gotten to the whole topic of dinner dates after Cael had mentioned wanting to go on vacation, far as Ronan remembered, and he was curious now if he actually had any plans that way. "Or has your last trip turned you off beach vacations already?"

"No, I see no issue with an actual beach vacation that doesn't include someone who dislikes me," Cael said ruefully, as he sipped his wine. Which, maybe wasn't what was on the horizon.

Still. "I would like to get off the station for a bit. Maybe not all the way to Antillia, but somewhere with a lake and the possibility of getting rained on might be nice. I haven't planned anything out, though. If you have any suggestions, Nature Boy." He had toyed with the idea of asking if Ro had the time to go somewhere if the station didn't murder them, when things had been under lockdown and felt much more dire, and Cael still kicked the idea around now, but he was still a couple steps away from asking that one outright.

Trying the food, it was quite good, and Cael lapsed into companionable silence a bit while eating. For as much and as easily as they talked, he also enjoyed just being around Ronan and moments of quiet didn't tend to become anything that had to be filled, the way that happened with some people. As their first plates were removed, Cael contentedly took a drink. Their entrees were soon to follow, more wine was poured, and while he wasn't entirely sure that sit-down meals were anything he'd want too frequently, this one was continuing to leave him very pleasantly warm. "Maybe I'll just get around to figuring out a new hobby instead, though I have no intention of slacking with my favorite pastime of troubling you," he said with a grin.

"Are you sure? Because, I don't know, you seem to have some amount of trouble with shorts." He couldn't quite keep a smirk off his face as he said it, though he nodded as he picked his drink up for another sip. "So you do do company retreats. Who would've thought."

Maybe it was an awkward topic, or should have been, but it didn't feel like it was derailing their evening in any way. Which was nice, though Ronan wasn't particularly worried about that sort of thing. Or anything, currently. "I only know my way around some corners of Babylon and Mahoroba, but, yeah, between the two of them, there's a lake or two out there." He wasn't nervous, not really, not concerned with how he was coming over, or if he was living up to some set of expectations. Simply existing around Cael had become shockingly easy, and as mortified as he had been about accidentally falling asleep on his couch, it was a testament to the comfort level they had somehow, irrationally, stumbled into through coffees and insults.

"I thought your new hobby was humanitarianism?" Asked between two bites and with the appropriate amount of teasing, considering how valiantly Cael had been fighting any kind of nice reputation, and he picked up his glass again. The wine certainly didn't hurt, but it wasn't the reason he was feeling pleasantly comfortable. "Where would you even fit in another hobby between that and taking over couch?

"Strangely, they didn't advertise the retreats in the recruitment process. Might've scared me straight if they had," Cael said drily. Really, it wasn't anything he should be complaining about or already trying to think of how to get out of politely, but if the words 'trust falls' got used at any point he might have to eject himself from life. Why take that risk? Of all things, this one was still a bit strange to be able to talk about with Ro, though Cael didn't mind. "Once I know whether it's actually going to happen, I might ask you more follow up."

Cael grimaced, as he shot Ro a half-hearted at best glare across the table, as he picked up his glass. "From the bottom of my heart, fuck you, darling," he said, taking a drink of wine. There was no venom whatsoever in his tone, and hadn't been in a while. Just reminders of his tattered reputation pained his soul in ways that probably didn't make much sense to anyone else, other than whatever danger that came with being seen as soft. At least of all people, it was only Ro, since somehow, improbably, Cael had fallen into trusting him implicitly in a way that would have been utterly unthinkable months ago.

Even with his expressed exasperation, it did nothing to lessen the warmth that seemed to have settled rather permanently on him now, as he exchanged wine for knife and fork once more. "I could also tell you a place or two to shove my new hobby, but I'll save the threats for mood setting later." The last was said with a smile that veered toward smarmy. Normally even he would have thought vague menacing at a date would be bad form, but this was Ro and Cael was who he was. Still surprised him a little that that was what Ro wanted, but. Made him absurdly happy, too, and Cael had quickly given up on trying to suppress showing that. "Are you still thinking about finding an extra job? There's probably some kind of market for incorrigible asshole," he teased.

"If only they had, maybe you could've gotten into do good-ery full time instead." Said with a roll of his eyes, derisively enough, though not even that managed to detract from the fact that Ronan was, quite shamelessly so, all too happy right now. "I'm sure I'll be able to point you in the direction of a lake. How deadly would you like its occupants to be?" Cael's professional life, for lack of a better term, was something they couldn't touch on beyond superficially, which was one reason Ronan hadn't asked any follow up questions to his correction that he was a former terrorist. Being friends was already a punishable offense, sharing any sort of details about either of their jobs would have gone beyond asking for trouble.

What they were doing now? Utterly reckless. And Ronan couldn't bring himself to be bothered by it.

"Promises, promises, dearest." He shot him a grin across the table, all too obviously pleased and not bothering to hide as much, a different kind of warmth spiking in the pit of his stomach if he let his mind wander. Maybe it should have been odd, would have been to someone else, what passed for date appropriate between the two of them--or maybe it was only fitting, considering their correspondence on Terminus had started with threats dressed up as flirting, though at no point could Ronan have expected that this was where it would lead. The attraction, sure, but the terrible, terrible fondness...

"Oh, there is," Ronan assured him with confidence, as he settled back in his chair with his glass of wine, unabashed now about the way he let his eyes linger on Cael in a way he never would have dared prior, "But I've already asked it to dinner, and I'm not looking to branch out beyond that."

The only lie that Cael told Ro that wasn't based in sarcasm or related to his own emotional repression was one he didn't really think Ro believed, that Cael's involvement with the GLF was in the past tense. Still, not all of the Revenge crew were and while it was paper-thin at best and probably wouldn't prevent a court martial if things did end up worst case scenario, Cael planned to maintain the technicality of Ro not knowing for whatever that was worth. "You know, deadly enough to give a thrill but not so much as to be actually fatal. So about the level of you several years ago," he said with a grin.

Making a joke about their murderous past was another oddity, but there was no use pretending like any of it hadn't happened. They had still landed here anyway. For quite a while Cael hadn't been able to get a good read on Ro, on whether or not whatever tension and attraction that had pulled at Cael had been mutual, which was, well. Blatantly clear now. His pulse quickened from the way Ro's gaze lingered openly, Cael doing nothing to hide the way he eyed back in return, lips curled into a smirk. "Yes, when you put it that way, I'd rather keep the monopoly on there."

Settled comfortably in his own seat, Cael rested one elbow on the arm of his chair, chin in hand, as he gazed at Ro. He held his glass of wine in his other hand, giving the contents an idle, slow, swirl. "So, I know you're not a sweets guy, but did you want to order dessert, or just have coffee back at my place?" he asked, not in any particular hurry, not really, just awfully enamored to the point it was ridiculous.

"Not fatal to you yet," Ronan challenged with a raise of his eyebrow. Their history was without a doubt not the one people usually decided to build romance on, of all things, but the undertones to their antagonistic tension had probably never been as subtle as they both tried to claim and Ronan couldn't pretend that it didn't thrill him. Which wasn't something about himself he was going to look into with any kind of serious introspection, but.

"Not in a hurry, are you?" Not that he actually thought they were. There was something incredibly refreshing about not doubting whether they were on the same page. He tended to enjoy his time with Cael no matter which way they spent it, which had been a terrible realization once he had finally admitted as much to himself, but there was no denying the pleasant thrum of anticipation about however they would end their night, only helped further along by how blatant they had gotten with their flirting this week.

And Cael dressing up for the occasion. And the look he aimed his way. And, and, and--

Ronan didn't think he was impatient. "I don't hate sweets, and we've still got a bit of wine left," said while reaching forward to refill his own glass, then tipped the bottle in Cael's direction in silent question whether he wanted his refilled as well. He did as decided before he set the bottle down and sat back again. "So if you want to get dessert, I'm not telling you no. Before I very politely walk you home."

"Definitely haven't been impatient once this week, why start now?" Cael said with a grin, since he had made it abundantly clear that the exact opposite of that was true in the days leading up. Stubbornness had gotten him through to a point and he had tried to see if Ro would crack first, but. 'Overwhelming' easily described a lot of what Cael felt about Ro these days and while half the time Cael barely knew how to cope with wanting something so completely and utterly for himself, he had embraced it.

Cael accepted the refill with a murmured 'thanks.' Bringing his glass to his lips, he took a sip, thumb idly stroking the stem as he considered. "I can do without dessert. I'll be happy just taking our time finishing off our wine." He was rather contentedly full from their meal and lingering over what remained of the bottle seemed like a good option, even if the impulse to simply drag Ro home as quickly as possible remained strong.

With that decided, Cael did nothing to suppress his amused smirk, as he couldn't help teasing, "So still plenty of time on the clock for your gentlemanly ways, then? Only going to accept a chaste kiss on the cheek once you've seen me to my door?" He wouldn't have minded at all if Ro had wanted to take things much more slowly, but the way their flirting had been going, Cael had trouble imagining it at the moment. Mostly Ro's manners were something that Cael had found amusing at first, when he'd readily call Cael a dick but rarely, if ever, fail to say thanks for coffee, that became rather charming over time. "If we're sticking to very polite and all."

"Oh, not once. A real paragon of virtue you've been all week. Nothing but helpful." Ronan rolled his eyes, but the amused smirk on his face was all too telling. His patience had been thoroughly tried this week, not that he hadn't done plenty of instigating himself, but doing this the right way had nonetheless been important to him--and looking forward to all of it had gotten him pretty well through the past week, even if it had sawed at his self-control in a way he wasn't quite used to, or had at least thought he'd have a better grip on in his thirties.

Ronan hummed thoughtfully, then moved to check the time without really looking at all. "Well. We'll see what the clock says when we get there." A nonchalant shrug, even if he was anything but about it, and tipped his head to the side as he regarded Cael across the table, a small smirk curling up his lips despite his better efforts. "Might want to walk slowly, just in case." Even a month ago, the idea of two of them on a leisurely stroll, after a date, would have been utterly laughable, and, in a very different way, it still was, but that had everything to do with their lack of patience now and none with their history.

The next time their waiter passed by, Ronan motioned to pay and took care of their bill, before leisurely finishing off the remainder of his wine, simply enjoying the company and atmosphere. It still felt a little forbidden, watching Cael so observably, but now that his intentions were quite so obviously on the table, he saw no reason not to. "Whenever you're ready, darling."

Cael laughed, shooting Ro an amused look over the rim of his glass. "We can always take the long way, if need be," he said. It had at one point been worrying how little it could take from Ro to get Cael riled up, since in general his self-control tended to be, well. Not perfect by any means, but a far easier time at pushing his impulses to the back of his mind, even if the way he plunged into danger sometimes might suggest otherwise.

The way Cael's thoughts, especially the past week, continually strayed to Ro, wasn't likely to change any time soon and being able to indulge them openly was freeing. Heat stirred in Cael simply from the way Ro was obviously looking at him, which was utterly ridiculous, but Cael was used to only catching it passingly and this? This was nice. Finishing his wine off, he flashed a grin at Ro and set his glass down. "Thank you for dinner, dear. Let's go."

Getting to his feet, Cael waited for Ro to do the same, before making their way out of the restaurant, his hand finding the small of Ro's back again, lingering there until they were back out on the sidewalk. He started to lead the way back, out of a habitual noting of he way they had come to get there, falling into step with Ro, unhurried, even if there were a non-negligible part of Cael that would have gladly had them already at his doorstep if teleportation were possible. He glanced over at Ro and smiled. "Far as dates go, I'd say this one's not bad so far," he said, understatement as usual with anything he meant by far the opposite of, since that always felt easier for both of them to handle.

"I guess I've had worse," Ronan agreed, with an amused sidelong glance at Cael. Dates weren't something he went on often, not particularly keen on either dating or relationships, but... This evening had featured none of the trappings that dates, in his experience, usually did--uncertainties, forced conversation, unmet expectations--and, a little looser for half a bottle of wine in his system, Ronan was simply ... happy.

That the evening wasn't over yet was a nice bonus, though, and he added an amused, "So far."

There was something incredibly pleasant about how easy all of this felt, and despite a mounting impatience, Ronan enjoyed even the walk home, although it did feel an awful lot longer than it had on the way to the restaurant. "After you." There was a gentle touch to his hip once the elevator was called, and Ronan stepped in after him. Being on his best behavior now was nothing more than stubbornness, and maybe finding out just how much longer he could keep it up, so he kept his eyes on the numbers above the door aside from the occasional glance at Cael simply because he couldn't resist. ?It is a bit late for coffee, isn't it?"

The touch didn't go unnoticed and Cael looked over at Ro with a warm grin. Anticipation threaded pleasantly through him and he was of half a mind to haul Ro closer soon as the elevator doors closed, but they had almost made it all the way back and Cael, too, could be stubborn. Quirking an eyebrow as he glanced over at Ro, Cael hummed in mock thought. "I suppose we could just skip the coffee," he said, as the elevator doors slid open. His hand brushed along Ro's back as Cael stepped out, close enough that his arm could brush against Ro's as they went down the corridor to their apartments.

Cael came to a stop before his door, expression alight. "You want to call it a night here in the hallway and go our separate ways?" he asked, even as he grabbed the front of Ro's shirt to draw him closer still, feeling like maybe he wasn't going to stop smiling anytime soon. Meeting Ro's gaze, his grip loosened so his palm rested flat on Ro's chest instead. "Or do you want to come in anyway? I can let you check the time, if you need to." The last added cheekily, even as maybe there were some nerves--more eager than anything else.

"I mean..." Ronan followed all too easily when Cael pulled him in, crowding him against his door with one hand braced against it as he tipped forward. He didn't have much height on him, but enough that he had to tilt his head down as he leaned in closer, the smile on his face matching Cael's as he lingered where he was for a beat or two, "I guess you could always make some coffee in the morning." Curling his other hand around Cael's hip, with his thumb idly tracing along the waistband of his pants, heat already pooling in the pit of stomach in mere anticipation. Which was a little ridiculous, but--

"If you're amenable to that," added sotto voce as he pressed a little closer still. With the way Cael's hand was pressed against his chest, there was no way his quickening heartrate wasn't giving him away, but it was a little too late to pretend he was indifferent about any of this, anyway. "I wouldn't want to be presumptuous here." Any stalling now was nothing but teasing, and Ro wasn't subtle about the way his gaze dropped from Cael's eyes to his lips, then finally, finally gave into the temptation that had been pulling at him for longer than he could admit, and leaned in to press his lips to Cael's.

Leaning back against the door, Cael tipped his head to look at Ro, the few inches difference in height one of those things that he'd never really thought about mattering in general, but found stupidly hot when it came to Ro, especially with him smiling like that. "Just might be open to it," Cael murmured. Tension wound tight in the pit of his stomach and it was stubbornness more than anything that held out in light of the blatant look, and he made a soft, pleased sound when Ro's lips found his.

The number of times Cael had imagined this was embarrassing by this point, but none of those daydreams could match up to this. Heat flooded through him, almost dizzying, the feeling of Ro's heart beating fast matching Cael's own. He coaxed the kiss deeper, eyes slipping closed as the pent up longing he had felt for weeks now found an outlet. His hand slid up to cup Ro's jaw, the drag of his stubble beneath Cael's fingertips another thing he had thought too much about.

Whatever patience Cael had managed to this point was completely obliterated. He did, somewhat, regret locking his door, since it was one more hurdle, and he broke off the kiss to fish out his keycard to correct that, so they could stumble into his apartment. "Might even make you breakfast, if you play your cards right."