What if, after knocking himself out after trying to save the Q2 line girls, Subaru had woken just a little earlier, and heard Seishirou's admonition?
.*.*.*.
Subaru felt his head pounding, and he shuddered as he came to. Vaguely, he could hear the crackle of magical energy, which soon dissipated and died down, along with the wind that lashed his face. After the confusion had settled, he thought he could hear a voice, sounding distant, inflected with the barest hint of scold.
"...decided to take the impact of that spell even in your weakened state. I don't know whether to call that thoughtful, or reckless, Subaru-kun. If you were to – "
Belatedly, Subaru realised he was in the man's arms, and he gasped, cutting Seishirou's rant off. He wobbled in the man's arms, and felt him tighten his grip reflexively. Even so, to feel a little more stable, Subaru flung his arms around Seishirou's neck. "I'm sorry!" He gasped as the vet's words sunk in.
Seishirou was giving him a piercing look, blinking slowly. He didn't move to put the exhausted Sumeragi down, but he stopped walking with him. "When your kindness endangers you, can't you see how it hurts your sister? She was so frightened when that spell hit you she passed out." He carefully avoided saying how HE had felt when the girls' spell hit Subaru.
Guilt. "She...oh...but I – "
"Shh. You're safe, Hokuto-chan is safe, and you need to rest. Besides!" The man smiled in that cheerful manner of his. "The sooner you get better, the sooner we can go on our date!"
"S...Seishirou-san...please...I...don't joke..."
Seishirou lost the cheerful grin as quickly as it appeared, and Subaru felt his stomach tighten a little. "When are you going to accept that I mean it, Subaru-kun? I really do want to take you out, I love you."
Subaru blushed brightly, and turned to bury his face in Seishirou's shirt instead of facing the older man.
.*.*.*.
Seishirou leant on the railings of the penguin enclosure once more, a sense of deja-vu rolling around his head. How much longer did he have to go on like this? He sighed and tugged out his cigarettes, anticipating a long wait, only to drop them in surprise as his date showed up on time. "Subaru-kun!" He blinked, surprised.
"Is it such a shock that I'm here on time?" Subaru replied with a sad little smile, looking guilty. He scuffed his feet. Seishirou noticed he was looking quite adorable today, in true Hokuto style, and he let an indulgent smile play on his face.
"It's the good kind of shock." He promised. "Come on, let's get some food, I'm hungry!" And as usual, he took Subaru's wrist to lead him along. Only to pause when, unbidden, the boy wriggled his hand so he was holding Seishirou's properly.
Wrong footed, the man stopped. "Subaru-kun?" He queried, looking down at their joined hands.
Subaru flushed bright red, and stepped up beside the older man. "I...I've been...I've been thinking about what you said. About how I keep putting myself in danger...and...and that you love me, and you like going on dates with me, and..." He flushed even more brightly and looked up at Seishirou. "And...I think that's okay..."
Seishirou blinked. Well. This was...unexpected.
"I was talking to Hokuto, too...and, well...she keeps moaning at me for loving everyone equally except her, and she says it isn't healthy. But I told her without even thinking that...that you were more special than everyone else. And I...I really didn't think about it at all. She started yelling happily at me after that, and I stopped listening, because I was...thinking. That It's true. You...really are more special to me than other people." He looked up at the man, who had stepped closer, eyes intense. "I...and you keep talling me you love me, and it must be so hard for you every time I get embarrassed and fluff it up, and I..." He trailed off when Seishirou pressed a finger to his lips.
"You think I'm...special?"
"V...Very special." Subaru blushed again, biting his lip. "And...even though I find it strange that you're a man, and I'm a man, too, and...but...I guess...it really doesn't matter, and if you love me, and I lo...I like you too, then what's wrong with it anyway?"
"Subaru-kun..."
"Seishirou-san..." Subaru squeaked as Seishirou swept him up into his arms, the look in his eyes wondering, intense, even...passionate. Their faces were so close. All it would take would be for one of them to inch forward and close the gap between their lips...
So Subaru did. Only for a split second, and blushing from head to toe, he pecked Seishirou on the lips, and drew away quickly. "Um..." He said after a few moments. "I think...it would be...be nice to try. I'd like to spend more time with you. Just you. And me. Is that...okay?"
Seishirou, trying to recover his own whirling senses as everything he thought he knew about Subaru crashed around his feet, blinked. "Okay...?" He echoed. "More than...more than okay." He replied, gently placing Subaru down, but leaving his arms around the younger loosely as he looked down in wonder.
More than okay.