Moonspear Calling you brings apprehension

Set directly after this thread. Phone post for youuu, @Aesop

Alastor was still in shock over the sudden departure of his friend, especially since she'd given naught even a quick goodbye. There had been an apology, but not a proper farewell, which nagged at him. However, he hadn't gone after her, nor would he. Her life was meant to be lived away from his own, it seemed, and so he needed to respect that. Should they ever meet again, then it would be because of the Moirai's doings, and not because he'd attempted to go against what had been written in the stars lifetimes ago. In the meantime, of course, he was more than happy to spend time with Aesop, for he'd known the older male longer and viewed him as his greatest friend.

Following his acceptance into the pack, a tour had been offered and he'd accepted it without hesitation. Not only would it allow for him to get a feel for his new home, but he'd also be spending time with Aesop whilst in the process of doing so; it was easily a win-win. And so, as they'd moved away from the borders, Alastor had said: "I'm glad that I came here." The moment he'd seen his friend there within his home, the Greek had known that he'd needed to remain there, too. It was where he was meant to be, and so every second of it thus far had been enjoyable.

Were the joiners anyone but Alastor (and friend), Aesop would have devoted more thought to the strange behavior of the woman at the borders. As it was, Aesop was more interested in Alastor. Never had he thought to have the Greek in his home, now their home. He had thought that they were meant to orbit each other, never meeting but for a few hours.

And now they could be together. As friends, of course. Me too, Aesop said. Because he was glad, but there was no denying his feelings. He'd gotten only a glimpse of Alastor's personality, but found him to be a gentle and sweet wolf, perhaps a better man than Aesop deserved. And there was no denying that Aesop found Alastor attractive. So Aesop was interested in Alastor, in a romantic kind of way. Yet he felt some kind of guilt, he had to be at least twice the Greek's age. 

Pushing those thoughts aside, Aesop led Alastor into the territory. What would you like to see first. Caches? Are you hungry?

Thoughts regarding Vixen were cast aside, his focus then being reserved for the older male. He stared at him for a moment, realizing exactly how good his decision to join Moonspear had been. Ever since their first encounter, he’d been drawn to Aesop for a number of reasons. The recognition and interest in his mother’s language that’d been shown back then had lured him in, whilst the man himself had encouraged him to stay. Though his cursing had a way of surprising the Greek each time he did so, he still viewed him as being kind. Alastor enjoyed being around him, unable to think of anyone else that he might want to spend as much time with as he did his friend.

When asked about what he’d first like to see, a moment was taken to think about his answer. While he thought about that, he’d shaken his head, then said, “I’m not hungry.” And though the caches were important to learn the locations of, they weren’t what he wanted to see first. “May I see where you stay at?” he’d decided to ask. “In case I need to find you for something.” His latter sentence was added as an afterthought, the words having been slightly rushed. The foreigner hadn’t wanted to give the wrong impression, after all.

Alastor announced his disinterest in food and his interest in Aesop. That is, Aesop's living space, which was just as much an interest in him. He grinned, perhaps a little saucily, at Alastor. Naturally. It's a bit of a climb, but damn near everything is on this hill, said he. And with that he adjusted their course up the mountain, following well-worn paths through the underbrush.

During the climb, Aesop thought to make some kind of conversation, and decided on a slightly awkward topic that he'd been wondering about. So the whole cursin' thing, does that bother you? It was difficult not to notice Alastor's discomfort each time he swore, subtle though it may have been. Though his colorful language was well woven into his lexicon, he was positive that he could tone it down.

Finally they came upon Aesop's den, which now smelled rather heavily of him after his long stay at Moonspear. It was a tight squeeze to get in for him, but another, smaller wolf might have an easier time of it. The space was dug into the hillside, much of its structural support came from the roots of the tree that it sat beneath. Here we are, he said with a grand sweep of his paw at the modest densite.

Aesop’s grin was met with a smile, excited by the thought of seeing his friend’s sleeping space. His excitement was, perhaps, a bit excessive, but he’d not tried to subdue it at all. Prior to his departure from Teekon, the Greek had believed that he’d never see his friend again, but the Moirai had been kind to him. Not only had they brought the two back together, but they’d made it possible for him to go so far as to see the den in which his friend slept each night. It was all amazing to him, and so he’d been sure to keep up. His attention belonged only to the man, though he had taken the time every once in a while to look around and memorize certain sights; he needed to remember the way to the site, after all.

As they’d moved, he’d been taken by surprise by a sudden question. An immediate answer was not given, for he’d felt it necessary that he choose his words carefully. “It does, but only because I am not used to it,” he'd eventually explained. “My mother had never swore around my siblings or me. I can’t recall anyone from my family that cursed.” To curse was neither a kind nor pleasant thing to do, and so never had it surrounded him. Of course, he’d since met many individuals that spoke in a manner similar to Aesop, but he’d yet to find a way to get used to it. “I’ll get used to it, though. I won’t ask that you speak any differently towards me than you do everyone else.” To do so wouldn’t be fair at all. And, given the fact that there existed any number of individuals that also swore, it was for the best that he find a way to not be so startled by such course language.

When they’d come upon the densite at last, he’d looked over every part of it that was visible to him. Behind him, his tail wagged, mind having already started to recreate the path on which he’d need to walk in the future, should he wish to be around his friend. “It looks comfortable,” he’d noted. “And it fits you well.” He could quite place his paw on exactly how it matched the older wolf, but it did, and he liked it for that reason.

Aesop listened to the explanation and found that it was exactly what he'd expected. He was far too old to be self-conscious about habits that had been ingrained in him so long that they were damn near a part of him, but Alastor was, in his mind, worth it. For a moment Aesop considered telling Alastor just that, but then he realized how that might be coming on a little strong. So he merely shrugged in reply and bent himself to the climb.

He cracked a grin. Aw, thanks, he said. I think cozy. A bit big, I might see if I can find myself a roomie for winter. Though he hadn't directly given the invitation to live with him, he sure as hell was thinking it. And heavily implying it. A moment too late it dawned on him that if saying Alastor was worth changing a nasty little habit was coming on too strong, then asking him to live with him was definitely doing so. There was no way to backpeddle without revealing his intentions, though, so he just sat there and wished a hole would open up in the earth and swallow him.

Thanks were given, which Alastor had nodded in response to. He enjoyed giving compliments when he could, and especially to those that he was especially fond of—such as Aesop, and probably anything that was connected to him. He had to agree, too, with what had been said. From a glance alone, he’d thought it to seem cozy and comfortable, but hadn’t made a single move to take a step into it. It was not his, after all, and he wished not to invade his friend’s space. Yet, when a potential roommate was brought up, he’d felt inclined to ask about it; the Greek didn’t want to just invade a space that wasn’t his, but if he were to be sharing the space, well… that was a different story entirely.

It was unclear whether or not the statement had been meant as an invitation or not, but he’d decided to take a chance with the belief that it was. If he ended up embarrassing himself, then so be it. “Might I be able to stay with you?” he asked, looking away from the den and into the man’s eyes. Never had he succeeded in finding a place for himself whilst staying at Silvertip, having been unable to feel comfortable in most areas. There at Moonspear, with Aesop, however, he was certain that he was most comfortable.

Until he recieved a response, he hadn't realized he'd been hoping for one. What he'd thought was an offhanded comment about the size of his den and his rooming situation was truly an offer to move in, something Aesop had hardly been conscious of until Alastor asked. 'Course he said, his mouth and his heart moving faster than his brain. Shit, he said not a moment after, the expletive a manifestation of his pleasure and displeasure in one.

At this point he felt like it would be taking advantage of Alastor to not reveal his attraction. I mean, I'd like that. But I gotta be straight with you, 'cause I'm into you. And I don't want that to fuck anything up with us bein' friends, but maybe I already screwed the pooch there. He shrugged, because really, how does one follow up an awkward confession?

The first word to be said had set his tail to wagging, but slowly had the movement been ceased as the second was heard. It was not so much the word itself, but more so the fact that he couldn’t grasp the meaning behind it. The tone used had added onto his confusion, the exact cause for what had been said unable to be located. He’d wondered if he might have done something wrong, or if perhaps the living space had already been suggested to another. Never had his mind ventured into any deeper meanings, which had resulted in him being taken by surprise by his friend’s confession.

Alastor was not entirely sure how to feel towards that which had been revealed. He knew that he liked Aesop, that he’d live wherever the man did, but hadn’t allowed for himself to really come to terms with what affections he did feel due to how little they really knew about one another. After a moment of silence, he began by saying, “Nothing could ruin our friendship.” From the moment they’d first met, the Greek had been drawn to him. He’d wanted to be friends, to learn about his life before they’d met, but hadn’t ever truly thought beyond that point. Still, he was certain that they’d always be friends, awkward confessions aside.

“I feel conflicted since we don’t know much about one another,” he continued. “But I know that I like you, too.” It didn’t make much sense when he really thought about it, but who ever said that it needed to? Emotions were not meant to be fully understood, and so he’d never try. Alastor went over what he did know, what he realized himself to feel, and both those things directed him towards his friend. He could not say that he loved him, but he also couldn’t deny that he was attracted to the man.

As a generally confident man, Aesop was in uncharted waters. This went quite against his modus operandi, which usually involved short flings that ended with him being thrown from whichever pack he had been in. However, Alastor was so different from his usual type, and Moonspear was his home, not just some pack he was stopping off in for a few months. Alastor was different, Moonspear was different. 

The first response siphoned some of the tension from Aesop's shoulders, but he was still worried that he had caused some irrevocable change in their relationship. Still, whether he feared rejection or feared that change might still come, he was still tense. Yeah, yeah, I get that, he said, stomach fluttering at the return of affections. I'm not askin' you to rush into anythin'. We don't have to be anythin' official, but I would like t'get to know you. If that's what you want. And, y'know, see where it goes.

The fact that he’d not be asked to just dive into something head first had come as a great relief. Although he knew he liked Aesop—or assumed that he did, given how he felt whenever they were together—the lack of information that they had on one another bothered him. It’d made him feel uneasy and, whilst it hadn’t been enough to keep him from joining the man’s pack, kept him from rushing into anything official. Someday, perhaps they might be able to be something more than friends to the public eye, but, for now, Alastor just wanted to take the time to get to know him better. “I’d like that,” he’d said after a second, happy to be on the same page. They would take the time to get to know one another, and, assuming they both liked what they found out, they’d go from there.

With everything seeming to have been figured out, the Greek had followed Aesop into his den in order to rest together. Perhaps he’d asked a question or two whilst laying alongside the other male, but the lull of sleep had dragged him under before he’d heard any of the answers, the effects of his travels having finally caught up with him.