There was something about Javier that Booker just...liked. It wasn’t as basic as his appearance or the scent of his soap, no, there was something deeper about Javier that, for whatever reason, had been pulling in the librarian since he went into his tailor shop that day, maybe even more subtly before when they met at the farmer’s market. He didn’t know what it was, but whatever had spurred on this sudden change in his affections for the man, it was what made Booker’s heart sink when he seeming saw him get hurt. And it was a sight that he never wanted to witness again.

So, sitting there, his hand on the other’s, he poured out feelings in some ways more than others. While Booker was still struggling with whatever sensations he was feeling towards this man, it was becoming harder and harder to ignore it. What he was a afraid of, he didn’t fully know, but one sure feeling he still had was relief that Javier was okay.

His words seemed to cause another fluster to sweep across Javier’s features. They both watched one another, Javier in stunned silence before he finally stammered on…

>>"See, that's... that's just you, Booker...Whatever Lieutenant USA has, or whatever you cosplay as, it's not really... that. I still can't really believe you stepped in front of me, just like that. I guess I didn't think people did that, in real life... I mean... When... Flying Fox threw the table at us, I thought I could stop it, and just... I didn't want you to get hurt either.

Booker’s eyes widened. He sat there, watching the other closely, recalling the events that he referring to. While he didn’t see everything, he could recall what he did; and he remembered being distracted, and then looking to see Javier standing there before he was struck by that half-table. He wasn’t caught in the crossfire, as he had initially thought, rather, Javier had been trying to protect him, in much the same way that Booker did with Above Average Man. Only, in Javier’s case, Booker’s adapted field canceled out his chances of being the hero.

And it was the thought of that that touched Booker. It was that final straw, that puzzle piece that slowly clicked into place and ignited the whole image in front of him. The trouble with having an eidetic memory is that you remember absolutely everything, but that is also the curse as some small details, unless looked for, could be easily bypassed. The glances, the blushes, the shy smiles, and the nervous words, it had finally dawned on the librarian a highly possible fact…

...Javier liked him.

>>It didn't go... quite that well. And I was thinking about all these things, and what would happen, and... You just did it. It's just, you think of the kind of person who would do that, without thinking, and... god, sorry, I'm rambling again."

Javier was still rambling as he felt his pulse race a bit. With the notion that the tailor possibly liked him, it opened more floodgates, namely those things that the librarian wasn’t willing to admit about himself either. He had been crushed when things ended between him and Juliette, to the point that he actually hadn’t considered really dating anyone for some time. And yet, somehow, this tailor had managed to sneak in under all of that. What else could he do?

”Javier…?” he said softly. He bit his lip as he looked at him, shamefully he didn’t catch most of what the other said, only knowing that it was probably praise for him or some sort. Instead he inched closer and spoke when he had the other’s attention. ”I’m...going to try something. Just...don’t freak out…” He leaned in further, slowly and cautiously, well into Javier’s personal space. His head tilted, he closed his eyes, and his pressed his lips to his.

Okay, great, so he was rambling again. He could see the look on Booker's face soften as he talked. He was aware that the whole thing probably sounded pathetic from the outside; they both shielded each other in the fight, but while Booker was brave and heroic, Javier only managed to get knocked out by a table. He really did not talk to earn himself some pity; it just... kind of kept working out that way. So, he stopped. Booker probably had a very clear picture by now of how messy it was inside the tailor's head.

>>”Javier…?”

He looked up. Booker looked like was seriously considering something; probably something to say, something that would make Javier feel better. He was just... a kind and considerate person. Which, sadly, made Javier feel all the more helpless by comparison.

"Yes?"

>>”I’m...going to try something. Just...don’t freak out…”

As it usually happened when told not to freak out, Javier immediately freaked out. What was Booker going to do? The tailor's eyes grew wide for a moment as Booker shifted closer, and then... and then it just happened. There was a soft, careful pressure against his lips. Booker was kissing him.

"Don't freak out"?!

It was... not something that he'd ever imagined anywhere near the realm of reality. Booker was just... really, he was everything, he was just way too good to be true, outside of everyone's collective league. And yet, here they were, on the couch, and Booker was kissing him.
Javier gasped in surprise, and then froze. Except, freezing was not the right term, because he actually felt warm all over. It washed over him like a wave, an almost unfamiliar physical sensation of actually wanting the contact. So, he eventually closed his eyes and shifted forward, tentatively kissing the librarian back.
There were so many things that could go immediately wrong. But maybe they wouldn't?...

He didn’t know what he was doing. Okay, that was a lie. He knew what he was doing, but the problem was that he didn’t know how he was allowing himself to do it. When the idea first struck Booker it seemed like the absolutely best idea. It was one that his whole body cheered for, pushing him along, egging him to do it because it would feel right. It would finally dispel whatever the odd fluttering was in his stomach, his skin would stop vibrating, and, most of all, he would finally find just a bit of peace. That was why he whispered to Javier to not freak out, and that was the reason he leaned in and pushed his lips against that of the tailor’s. And in that instant, it felt like absolutely everything he had ever wanted.

There was still some fear there, tickling the back of his mind as questions and doubts tried to poke holes in this perfect plan. What if he was misreading Javier? What if he was wrong in making those connections and the tailor just wanted to be friends and friends alone? What if he were actually ruining the relationship they were trying to forge by making a humongous leap that Javier wasn’t prepared for? All of those pesky thoughts fought so desperately to run rampant in his mind, to make him question why he was doing this. But for as loud as they were, they were soon drowned out.

As Booker pushed his lips against Javier’s, finding that perfect spoke where they locked like matching pieces, he soon felt the one thing he had been hoping for -- the tailor pushed back.

It was an amazing feeling. In that one instances, that fraction of a second where he felt pressure meet his lips, and suddenly all those negative, dark thoughts had just evaporated. Who cares what happened after the kiss ended, all that mattered was that, right now, in this instance, the librarian was absolutely on cloud nine. It was if the damn that had been holding back many obvious truths had suddenly vanished and, it covered his skin with goosebumps.

The kiss was prolonged now, Booker reaching up, the palm of his hand grazing over Javier’s cheek, tenderly stroking the stubble he felt long the man’s jawline. His lips sweetly slid over the other’s, his thumb stroking the man’s skin affectionately as he felt himself sinker deeper and deeper into the depths of this impossibly good sensation that coursed just beneath his skin. However, it eventually had to come to an end, Booker regrettably breaking the kiss as he pulled away to catch his breath.

His forehead pressed against Javier’s and the librarian found that he couldn’t stop smiling. It was euphoric to feel that, that excited energy as it coursed through his veins. In all fairness, he never thought he would feel it again -- and yet, here he was.

Still keeping his head against Javier’s, he closed his eyes, grinning as he finally caught his breath. What else was there to say? Quietly, under his breath, he stated what he hoped was the obvious.

”You...have a crush on me…” he said softly. No judgement. No teasing. Merely a man making what he figured to be an educated guess. He smirked. ”You like me?”

Javier did have a crush on Booker. That had never been the question, but then again, Javier tended to have crushes on people he became friends with, more often than on celebrities or random strangers. The more time he spent with Booker, the more he liked him. And, eventually, he had to admit that he was attracted to the librarian. Spending time with him... was easy, despite the default awkwardness.
Kissing him was easy too.

Once it was happening, there was no question in Javier's mind about whether or not he wanted to return the kiss. He wanted to melt into it, really, with the wave of warmth that spread over his skin. Booker lifted a hand to caress his face, and Javier shifted closer, going with the soft kiss, sliding his own hand into Booker's hair. The kiss ended as softly as it began, and they were left with their foreheads together, both a little breathless.

>>”You...have a crush on me… You like me?”

"Yeah, I like you" Javier admitted with a chuckle, catching his breath "I mean, you make it hard not to..." He was just so... Booker, with the smiles and the patience and the goofy jokes. Also, hot, which really was just the icing on the cake. But he had been the one who started the kiss, so... "... you like me?"

Booker could hardly catch his breath. His pulse was pounding in his ears as he sat next to the handsome man that he had just finished kissing. It felt like it was something he didn’t know he needed to do for such a long time. It was like finally savoring that meal that you had been dying for but couldn’t remember the name of. Now, it was all Booker wanted and he knew that he wasn’t going to forget again.

Leaning his forehead against Javier’s he smirked, biting his lip as he stroked the other man’s cheek with his thumb. It was amazing how all those pieces just came snapping together in the end. For someone who could remember absolutely every last thing that ever happened to him, he was actually pretty dumb. That had always been his failing. Nessa had said that sometimes he could overlook the smallest things, like when someone was crushing on him, pretty easily. That was his probably for knowing everything -- there was a lot he missed.

But it all made sense now. That was why he had to say it, to confirm that the tailor had a crush on him. For how long, he didn’t know, but it was certainly there -- and it still was if that kiss was any indication.

>>"Yeah, I like you...I mean, you make it hard not to..."

Booker chuckled as he listened to Javier chuckle. In all fairness, Booker wasn’t looking to seduce the tailor and merely was being himself. But maybe that was enough. After all, Javier was certainly not trying to get this close to the librarian and yet he managed to without even trying. It seemed that the duo had stumbled into this and discovered mutual feelings at the same time. That was certainly fortuitous.

A short silence fell between them. Booker knew that Javier had his own questions. If the man’s anxiety was any indication then he would want clarification before things pressed any further. Given that Booker’s last relationship failed, he wouldn’t mind making sure that they were on the same page as well...

>>"... you like me?"

Closing his eyes, Booker sighed and smiled softly. He tilted his head up to kiss Javier’s forehead, the bridge of his nose, his cheek, and finally his lips again, all the while uttering in a soft whisper: ”I do...I really...really...do…”

Javier felt like a teen again. Or rather... a college student, since technically, he had been very shy as a teen, and only began experimenting with the dating scene in college. Which meant that all the shy, awkward, heart-fluttering experiences were a part of his college years too. The whole thing had both upsides and downsides. But either way, even if he had crushes before, this one... was actually working out. Which he could scarcely believe. Someone like Booker, who was definitely amazing, returning the crush, that really only happened in romantic movies this easily. But just when Javier's brain was beginning to latch on to the idea that there had to be a catch, Booker was kissing him again, softly, all over.

>>”I do...I really...really...do…”

Javier was just about ready to melt into a puddle. The gentleness, the affection, the familiar touch, it was all enough to take his breath away. Booker liked him. Really liked him. Really really liked him. That thought was enough to sweep all overthinking aside as he was kissed again. It really was just too good. Once things were said, and confessed, and out in the open, there was really no anxiety anymore in Javier about enjoying all of it.
The second kiss was just as soft, but longer; Javier slid his hands into Booker's hair again, still damp from the shower. Had he been told that he would end this day making out on a couch with a hot librarian slash occasional superhero, he would not have believed it. And yet, sometimes things did work out.

"Well... I'm happy with that" he smiled finally as they came up for air again. He really was. Giddy was a better word for it, maybe, but he was trying really hard not to be a teenage girl. He arched an eyebrow at Booker, still framing his face with his hands. "Tell me you didn't have the t-shirt lying around just for this."

It was one of the sweetest gestures that ever came from the librarian and it was done with such care, such intuitiveness that he didn’t even need to try. He wanted this. Deep down, he knew that for awhile now, he wanted this moment with Javier but he had been too scared or confused to admit it. Javier was sweet, he was handsome, and most of all, the two of them seemed to compliment one another; like two sides of the same coin. Where Javier was a whisper, Booker was a shout. It was a dichotomy that he most certainly wanted to see work.

His lips found several tender spots on Javier’s skin, sweet spots that Booker could feel make the tailor smile in appreciation. Additionally, he could feel whatever nervous energy that had swept up Javier before was starting to completely seep away. Was that the key to this? A few soft kisses and the realization of they both wanted the same thing? If that had been the answer the whole time, Booker was almost ashamed that he didn’t do this sooner. But he was doing it now; that was all that mattered.

He confirmed that, yes, he did like Javier; he really, really liked him. He wanted to see where things would go with the tailor, without having to work through any conflicting feelings anymore. So he threw any notions that he didn’t want this out the window.

Their kiss continued and Booker sighed at the sensation of the other running his fingers through his still, slightly damp hair. Javier was definitely good at this, something that he would have to compliment him on later. But, for now, he just wanted to enjoy the moment before they once again had to regrettably break their entanglement. Damn needing to breathe.

>>"Well... I'm happy with that.”

Booker grinned. That made him smile more than anything else that Javier could have said. He had seen Javier so shy, so withdrawn, that Booker took to enjoying those few moments when the tailor would actually break from tradition and either laugh out loud or smile broadly towards him. To hear him say he was happy, well, that was like finding the holy grail, and Booker was not about to let that go anytime soon.

>>”Tell me you didn't have the t-shirt lying around just for this."

The sound of Javier’s laughter was indeed endearing, to the point that Booker himself had to laugh in response. He looked once again at the shirt that he was wearing that the librarian covered his face in a kind of pseudo-embarrassment. He shook his head, sighing -- would Javier believe him?

”I swear that’s not why I gave it to you,” he chuckled. ”It was just the smallest shirt of mine that I could find.” A snort followed as Booker tilted his head, smiling cutely as he reached over, tapping the end of Javier’s nose. ”I guess it was just serendipitous.”

They kissed again, and it was great, and Javier was not complaining at all. It was such a perfect moment, perfectly flawed in many ways, but still, something that one would dream of often, but it didn't happen all that much in real life. Having a crush on someone amazing, and finding out that they had one too. Having the moment and the confidence to admit it.
Also. The kissing was pretty great too. They both smiled a little dreamily as they looked at each other.

>>”I swear that’s not why I gave it to you. It was just the smallest shirt of mine that I could find.”

Javier chuckled. Booker was definitely... more buff than he was, which resulted in a difference in shirt size. At least the mock-proposal shirt did not make him look like a kid wearing his brother's clothes.

>>”I guess it was just serendipitous.”

Javier smiled as sat back, reaching down to hold Booker's hand. They were having a movie level romantic moment, but for now, he'd allow it without obsessing too much about what the catch might be.

"It almost makes the fight worth it" he chuckled in agreement "I don't think I would have ever said anything otherwise... or at least not any time soon. So... yay for crazy mutant movie geeks?..."

Booker was all smiles the more he was with Javier. Now that they had unveiled their feelings for one another, it was like a major load had been pulled off of their shoulders. They could be themselves, without worrying about making things too awkward. Booker could see the change immediately in Javier, as the man was more open, smiling, even joking with the librarian. It was like he had inadvertently flicked a switch when he had kissed him and now Booker was seeing the real tailor, finally. Of course, he really had always been seeing the real Javier, he just so happened to be a far more relaxed one now.

He was happy to admit that he really liked both sides of his man and he couldn’t wait to see what else awaited them now that they were being honest with one another.

Shaking his head, chuckling at Javier’s guess that the shirt was a plan all along, Booker could only refute it, stating it was the chance occurrence it really was. Still, he wasn’t one to ignore fate, destiny, even luck if that was what you wanted to call it. He leaned his head down and bopped Javier on the nose. While he was all for making his own decisions in life, he wasn’t afraid of admit that fate could throw in a little nudge every now and again.

>>"It almost makes the fight worth it..I don't think I would have ever said anything otherwise... or at least not any time soon. So... yay for crazy mutant movie geeks?..."

He sighed. He was very, very glad that he had actually kissed the man first. If he didn’t and they just continued dancing around the subject, they would have never reached this. He understood. Even though this was clearly something Javier wanted, his anxiety would have crippled him from making the first move. It was a little sad but why dwell on something that didn’t occur. They were here, they were now, and that was all that mattered.

’Bless them indeed,” Booker said, reaching over to stroke Javier’s cheek. He paused for a moment, took a breath and straightened up his posture. ”Alright…” he said firmly, smiling as he looked into the others deep eyes. ”...Javier..." he said with a small twinge of nervousness in his voice. "Would you like to go on a real date? With me?” he smiled. ”I mean...if you want to...that is…?”

They both relaxed a lot, now that they were not awkwardly tiptoeing around their emotions. For Javier, it made sense - but even Booker looked less tense now, and definitely happy. His smile was something else, something both excited and gentle. Javier had the feeling that even with his easy-going personality, people did not see this expression every day.

>>’Bless them indeed,”

"Oh, I wouldn't go that far" the tailor smirked, tilting his head into Booker's touch. He hoped that Flying Fox and Above Average would get the treatment they deserved for putting people in danger for such a dumb reason. It wasn't like they had the intention of orchestrating what would follow between him and Booker. But life or death situations tended to bring the truth out of people...

>>”...Javier... Would you like to go on a real date? With me? I mean...if you want to...that is…?”

"I would love to" Javier smiled without hesitation. Once again, as the tables were turned and Booker was nervous, he felt a lot more confident. Also, there was really only one answer to a question like that. "As long as it doesn't involve a fight... One meet-cute was quite enough." he chuckled. "But yes, we should go on a date. Sometime when I'm not... you know, wearing your clothes, and..." he made a face, just as his stomach made a growling sound "... and I'm not starving. Sorry. Side effects of my powers, I guess..."

>>"Oh, I wouldn't go that far"

Booker smirked at Javier’s response to praising the psychos. It was true and definitely not something that they should be grateful for in its entirety. These people ruined lives today, maimed, maybe would have even gone so far as to kill to make their point. But the librarian was still grateful for at least part of that event, the one that allowed him to realize how he felt about Javier and what brought them both to this point and time. Would any other day have offered him the opportunity to tell the tailor how he felt? He hoped he would have been better than that, but right now he was just thankful he didn’t have to think about it.

It was out in the open. He liked Javier. He wanted to date him. And, speaking of…

He didn’t know why he was nervous. The two of them just kissed as if it had been the one thing that they had been waiting to do for months. Really the fact that a date was the next thing to come for them was just kind of...expected. Still, Booker could feel that little wave of nervous energy flutter just under his skin. And yet he still asked.

>>"I would love to"

He smiled broadly. It was definitely what he wanted to hear. Already his mind was whirling as he tried to construct what kind of date he would be taking Javier on. He knew a lot about New York City, a lot about dating too, but what would feel special for the two of them?

>> "As long as it doesn't involve a fight... One meet-cute was quite enough...But yes, we should go on a date. Sometime when I'm not... you know, wearing your clothes, and... and I'm not starving. Sorry. Side effects of my powers, I guess..."

Booker smirked and snapped his fingers. ”Damn, there does my idea of taking you out for a bar room brawl.” He was kidding, of course -- he didn’t know any bar rooms.

In all fairness he got everything Javier was saying. He was not wearing his normal clothing, he was hungry from what they went through, so going out on an official date wasn’t exactly proper. After all, you can’t really proposition someone when they are sitting on your couch, swimming in your oversized sweatpants and t-shirt. It would have been funny, though. Still, Booker understood and nodded.

”Oh definitely,” he grinned. ”Okay! Why don’t I be an excellent host, and make us a couple of sandwiches and get the laundry started?” With a beaming smile he stood up from the couch. He turned around as he walked backwards towards the kitchen. ”In the meantime, we’ll just, you know, hang out. Maybe treat it like a…” he rolled his hands. ”...pre-date warm up?”

That said he turned and made his way into the kitchen, all the while still coming up with ideas for what they would do on their date. He would figure something, and it will be perfect.