ive got a dream

The forge building had obviously gone successful, since why would it fail?

And now that he was done, he waited for Juniper to make her leave. The two would be chatting more in private later, but for now he decided to spend this time with Henry. He had full plans of visiting the Embassy in the near future, not to worry, now just felt like a bad time... plus he was really excited to have Henry around.

Glancing over at the man, he offered him a soft smile. ”Guess now would be a good time to head back to my place? I have some food if you’d like some. Not nearly as fresh as I’d normally like, but I have some baked goods and a few other things. It’ll be great.” It would be enough for a satisfying meal for the two of them. Plus, food clearly wasn’t the major thing on his mind, it was merely an act of hospitality.

Henry

let us dance in the sun, wearing wild flowers in our hair

Oliver

This town will never change, People come and go, it's all the same

Henry's big chillin', hands clasped behind his head, leaned back into a seat, eyes half-closed as he admires a good day's work. Forge-building is tiring, if he's honest. His chest rises and falls with a few relaxing heaves.

He's aware when Oliver glances his way. Lazy eyes eventually move over towards the blond, eyelids only flickering completely open when they meet eyes. His expression is half-expectant, wondering if he'll be trekking his way back to Torchline or...

A wry smile shifts the features of Henry's face at the sound of 'back to my place'. "You have food!?" He queries, feigning astonishment.

He stands up with a reaching stretch, tilting his head this way and that, pretending that he's thinking about the offer. Then he nods excitedly, easing into a grin and moving to stand by Oliver.

He gives the other man a gentle pat on the shoulder, letting his hand linger there, "Count me in, blondie. Is your place very far?" He inclines the crown of his head towards the doorway.

HENRY

Oliver had no idea what was going to happen once the Fae had disappeared- was he going to be slammed against the wall? Fuck did he hope so- but he was also happy to have some simple conversations. It seemed to go the way of the latter in an extremely enthusiastic way. A grin spreads across his lips and Oliver laughs. ”Of course I have food.” A hand moves to press against Henry’s cheek, cupping his face. ”Although, you seem far more excited about food than about a certain something else- but I’m sure we can deal with that later.”

Now no, Oliver wasn’t hard yet, but it would be a lie if he said he wasn’t turned on by the imagine of Henry slamming him onto a surface. It’d be fine, yeah. It’d work out. His hand slowly drops and he holds it out. ”Its a little nippy outside, I’ll show you the way.” Whether or not Henry took his hand, Oliver would make his way outside and head to his new home.

It was small, modest, but nice. It was clear he was still moving in but it’d work out. The walk wasn’t far at all, maybe not even two minutes before Oliver was opening up the door to a house. ”Leave your shoes by the door. If your coats have snow on them too you can leave them there as well. I have blankets for you to use.”

let us dance in the sun, wearing wild flowers in our hair

Oliver

This town will never change, People come and go, it's all the same

Henry's not a mind reader, of course, but even if he was...

The touch to his cheek alone catches him completely off guard, wiping the smile from his face in confusion. He doesn't pull away, per se, but he also doesn't quite know how to respond right off the bat. So he spends much of the moment trying to recover from it. His brows raise and lower when Oliver makes a rather vague yet bold statement. "Do I?" He reflects, frowning thoughtfully, "I guess I'll have to fix that."

So instead of taking Oliver's hand, he reaches out and tucks him under one arm. Together, so long as Oliver is quite alright with that, they can walk to his home like this. Henry will find that it feels more comfortable than he expected. It adds a bit of a pep to his step, livens him up from the exhaustion of work.

When they arrive, Henry will let go in favor of removing his shoes and jacket, discarding them in a place that at least looks proper. The small and modestness doesn't bother him, quite used to a similar living arrangement of his own. In fact, he takes a moment to evidently admire the simplicity and homey vibes of Oliver's house.

It takes him a few moments to let the energy he's feeling settle before he broaches Oliver's space again. Henry's arms fold over his chest as he peers down at that little nose piercing. "So, watcha got for me?" He prompts quietly, a soft smile on the edges of his lips.

HENRY

His face flushes and his cheeks highlight a light pink when Henry brings him in close. It’s a lot and it touches him. It feels kinda nice to be held like that and it takes Oliver a moment to be able to move forward. Eventually, he’s able to make his way to his home without much problem.

Oliver sheds off his coat onto the one hook available- which isn’t much since he’s clearly still hanging things up thanks to the clear art leaning against the walls. His boots slide off quickly and are once move tucked against the wall neatly as if Oliver frequently does this.

Stepping off to the side, Oliver moves in close to Henry, only a few inches between the two of them. He leans in close to his face before talking low and quiet. ”Well- that’s up to you. We could bundle up and eat? You get the blankets from the chest in front of the couch. I’ll get us some food.” Oliver then moved to take a couple of steps back, but moves calmly. ”Make yourself at home.”

let us dance in the sun, wearing wild flowers in our hair

Oliver

This town will never change, People come and go, it's all the same

Henry watches as Oliver moves his shoes into a neat little location against the wall. His eyes slowly drag back up to his slender, flushed face, fully intending to swallow him up in that one simple rake of a glance. It's cute, the little rituals Oliver appears to have, and Henry's curious to get to know more of them.

His arms cross and he breathes warmly as Oliver moves in to meet him halfway. "I meant the food, of course," he whispers back oh-so-innocently, though it's definitely meant to poke and tease. He can see that Oliver's getting a bit riled up already, has picked up on the redness in his cheeks. "Blankets it is, then!" He decides quickly, pressing his tongue to the roof of his mouth and letting out a 'tsk'. "Do you like forts?"

While Oliver is getting food, Henry is making himself very much at home. But what exactly is he up to in this room Oliver's sent him into to retrieve blankets near a couch? Well, the cushions have been spread this way and that. What Henry's really struggling with is getting the blankets to cooperate. It's a clumsy orchestration of fort-building that's taking place in the heart of Oliver's house.

HENRY

Thankfully- Oliver was quite hungry himself. It’s kinda bad to fall asleep on an empty stomach after working for so long. ”Ill get to that then- and trust me. I’ll make you a proper meal sometime, this is nothing like what I can make.” Seeing as none of it would actually be made fresh.

His eyes flicker and he finds himself smiling. ”Sure, yeah, a fort works.” Had he misread the situation? Maybe, but he did love the company and Henry hadn’t turned down his obvious flirting. So it’d be fine.

Moving off to the side, Oliver would grab a platter. Slowly, he’d fill it on up. One small bowl would have various jerkies, a couple of oranges, an apple, and then a loaf of bread similar to a baguette to split. It wasn’t much but it would do nicely. And of course, two cups of water.

By the time Oliver made it over to him, Henry was struggling. ”What a lovely fort.” There’s a teasing tone to his voice. ”Wanna finish that up so we can settle in? It isn’t much, but it’s food.”

let us dance in the sun, wearing wild flowers in our hair

Oliver

This town will never change, People come and go, it's all the same

By all accounts, Henry isn't well-versed in the whole 'let's rip each other's clothes off and fuck' scene. He's a bit too soft for that, and what he sees in Oliver isn't someone who needs to be shoved up against a wall (though maybe he'd like and appreciate it) but someone who needs kinship. Kindness shown to them. And Henry's a giver. So maybe he is misreading the situation. Hmm. Maybe there's a way to do both? Two birds, one stone sort of thing? His mind wanders at that thought, which is probably what fucks up his fort-building mojo.

But Henry smirks at the remark, glancing up at Oliver and double-backing because all that food looks fucking awesome. Back to the matter at hand.

"My blanket fort and I don't need your negativity," he sasses playfully, before finally securing everything. Pillows are placed for them to lay back on and he settles in against them with a long, winded sigh.

He leans so far back into the pillows that they would seem to engulf him, until he's coming back up for air to see Oliver's expression. "Well? Don't be shy, what d'you think?"

HENRY

If only Oliver knew what all was going through Henry’s mind- there could easily be a way for the two to meet, but neither of the men seemed ready to actually bluntly state their intentions. It’s funny, in a way, how both have plans for the night but neither had actually said it out loud. All of it was through small little signals and actions. Little things that hint towards their motives.

Looking down at the man, Oliver offers him a nice smile. ”Sorry Blanket Fort, you look very lovely.” And before Oliver knew it, Henry was leaning back and being sucked on into the pillows. ”It looks very soft.” A small laugh and Oliver carefully moves on down, placing the platter delicately on the ground.

Kneeling down, Oliver grabs onto the platter once more. ”Where do you want me to sit, master of the fort?”

let us dance in the sun, wearing wild flowers in our hair

Oliver

This town will never change, People come and go, it's all the same

Henry grins up at Oliver and raises one brow up in flirtatious skepticism, "Are you really talking about the fort?" He props himself up onto one elbow and leans into the pillows with it so he's at a more upright position. "Because if so, thank you. It's my pride and joy." He surveys his kingdom with emphasis.

As for where Oliver can sit, Henry enthusiastically pats the pillows beside him. "Make yourself at home! So long as I can-" and he'll reach forward to snag a piece of jerky "-get some of this." He promptly bites off a piece.

As they settle into the food and pillow fort and everything seems comfortable, Henry will slowly inch his way a closer to Oliver. Increment by increment. He'll act quite casual about this and even pretend he doesn't notice its happening, reaching for a bite of food while he's at it. Until their shoulders brush and he peers over with a humorous smirk, "So... come here often?"

HENRY

The little joke is east to notice and either Oliver is interpreting it wrong or Henry just gave a wonderful thought into his head. ”Well, it’s a lovely kingdom and you seem very... well equipped.” Oliver’s gaze moves down his torso before moving back up, for a brief second glancing at his crotch. Oliver was far from subtle now but to hell with that.

Soon, Oliver is setting in and the jerky is being stolen away. A grin on his face and Oliver sets the platter down and grabs the bread loaf. ”More of this for me, I guess. It’s too bad, Henry, you’d really love it.” There’s a wink and he simple rips off a fourth of the loaf and places it back down, content with his small piece.

It seems he’s too occupied taking nibbles of his bread to notice Henry moving in closer. He actually was distracted by the urge to finish off his food and the regret for not grabbing any wine. Oh well. He’s too comfortable to get up now.

A shoulder brushes against him and Oliver’s eyes shift over to Henry. His lips turn up slightly and he takes a moment to respond. ”Im rather new to the kingdom of Henry, unfortunately... why do you ask?”

let us dance in the sun, wearing wild flowers in our hair

Oliver

This town will never change, People come and go, it's all the same

Henry grins up at Oliver's not-so-subtle joke, slightly shifting his hips in an attempt to play at being tantalizing. So be it if there's already bit of an outline Oliver spies along the ridges of his pants; all the more for him to look at.

He's only glad that the blond can settle in comfortably beside him without any protest, even if the idea of a pillow fort is a bit childish. He has to admit that. But, did it stop him anyway? No. Why would it? Sometimes it's nice to let your inner child run free every now and then.

One of Henry's broad hands reaches out for the orange, beginning to peel away at it as he makes his silly joke to Oliver. A smile softens his smirk when Oliver reflects one back at him in turn. "You're cute," he mumbles, though they are in close enough proximity that his words are still audible. He lets the running joke go, though, far more interested in something a little more serious now... "So what do you normally do when you don't have someone here to build you magnificent pillow kingdoms?" As if there couldn't be anything better.

HENRY

The sight was very easy to see and it'd be a lie if Oliver claimed his breath didn't hitch momentarily, thinking of it before pushing the thought away so he wouldn't get too excited too early. Now was not the time for making a move- hell, would there ever be a time? He honestly wasn't sure anymore but he was absolutely enjoying the company.

By the time the two are speaking Oliver's half of his loaf is pretty much complete so it leaves his hands completely free. One delicately moves to place on Henry's thigh as if steadying himself. Yeah, it was a very comfortable way to rest, but it also added a sense of closeness. It was less about trying to come onto Henry and far more about simply feeling close to the man and being able to connect with him- both metaphorically and physically.

Oliver's eyes glanced down as the other man began to peel the orange before he returned to look back at Henry. "Nothing much... when I'm at home I'm mostly resting. I often paint or sketch, I also mend up clothes. My sewing skills aren't amazing, but they work just enough to get by." It was far from great, but Oliver was happy with it. "Normally I'm out- going everywhere I can... I love trading with others." It gave him the opportunity to create something and then receive something in return.

"It's different having such a... beautiful fort around. It's nice... it's a very regal kingdom."

let us dance in the sun, wearing wild flowers in our hair

Oliver

This town will never change, People come and go, it's all the same

The hand that rests over his thigh is taken in stride, but rather than address it verbally Henry moves to assure Oliver that this is quite comfortable by swooping his arm around Oliver's shoulders. It's a spot he could get used to being in, he thinks... There's an excited tremor that moves through his chest and his breath at these harmless little intimacies.

With the orange peeled and Oliver taking the chance to gush about himself, Henry quietly separates the fruit with his free hand, laying it out across the platter. He does sneak a piece or two as he listens, making a point to chew quietly.

The lifestyle Oliver leads is simple and quiet. Henry looks over at him with a soft smile when he's finished.. though he doesn't quite expect another innuendo about fort kingdoms. It summons a small chuckle up through his throat and he gives Oliver a gentle squeeze with his arm. "What can I say? I give it my all," which is, perhaps, another innuendo. He clears his throat and says more earnestly, "That sounds nice; peaceful. You'll have to show me your art sometime."

To share a bit about himself, Henry explains, "I spend quite a bit of time trading, as well. My family are farmers, you know, so we do a lot of that," he adds, "I like to make things, too. Sheep wool makes for great clothes and blankets. Though I hope I can take a break to see more of Caido in Flowerbirth. I've always wanted to be an explorer - instead of a farmer, but..." Well, there are a lot of but's. He doesn't plan on bringing down the mood with them, however, so he quickly moves on, "Dunno if I could stand to be away from you for too long. I'll have to come check up on you, make sure the Fae are treating you well here."

Whether he truly means that he's already attached to Oliver remains to be seen but he thinks he definitely could be, if things continue as they are.

HENRY