forum "I'll take your heart out with a spoon." OxO // CLOSED

Started March 08, 2021 by @cryptic-glitch

tune

“Um- You’ve been on dates when you didn’t like someone?” Simon said, a flush rising to his cheeks. He chose not to comment on the last part of what Razielle said.

He shrugged sheepishly "it's not that I didn't like them, I just wasn't interested in them that way but I felt bad so I agreed to go out on a date. It never really went anywhere afterwards." He replied, arching an eyebrow as he watched Simon flush. "Oh I could definitely get used to this." He muttered, glad cing up as they approached the bookstore.

"Hey," Simon said, elbowing him with a slight grin. "Don't make fun of me. I'm buying you books."

Raz laughed softly "hey, that's a good thing that you can actually show emotions. Gives me a break from blushing and not knowing how to act around d you all the time." He pulled open the doors and stepped inside, eyes widening as he took in the shelves of books. No where near the archives of hevean but it was still amazing to Raz that so many stories could fit all in one place

"Where do you want to start, dear? Pick wherever you'd like," Simon said, amused at Razielle's evident excitement.

"oh, you shouldn't have said that, we might be here all night." Raz replied with a grin, taking a few more steps in as he looked around, running a light hand along the spines of the books. The place was lit by amber fixtures onthe walls and ceiling, giving it a warm, cozy feeling that Raz immediately felt comfortable in. As he read the titles, he noticed there was a good mixture of all genras, old and new

“I don’t mind,” Simon said softly, watching Razielle fondly. He carefully tugged a book off a shelf and flipped through it.

Raz smiled and he found a book that caught his interest, leafing through the pages and skimming through the pages, softly reading to himself the forst few paragraphs of text. He glanced up, his smile only growing as he saw that Simon had found a book as well. "Thinking of adding more to the collection?"

"Maybe. Can't have too many books," he said, brushing his hair away from his eyes. "We'll see. I want more classics, but those can be hard to find in good condition."

Raz shook his head "nope, never." He agreed, tucking the book he had grabbed under his arm. "Hm, that is true. I'd almost argue the used classics are better, they have more character to them, but I do get wanting to have new copies that look a little nicer." He strolled around the store a bit more, going deeper and deeper into the shelves, a bright smile lighting up his features Everytime he found a book that intrigued him

"The issue is the ones that are the prettiest are about to fall apart," Simon said mildly, tipping his head to look at the titles on the spines of the books.

"Mh, that is also true. We could also find someone who fixes books." He suggested, glancing up when he noticed a ladder leading to more shelves. He set down the stack of books he had gathered and started ascending the ladder, looking through the various books

"Don't fall," Simon said, a nervous edge to his voice. He put his hand on Razielle's back protectively. "I certainly don't want to call an ambulance."

"I won't." He promised, glancing over his shoulder momentarily when Simon pressed a hand to his back. "Uhm, anything you want me to look for while up here? Any specific classic?" He asked, trying to distract himself from Simon's touch and the fact that he liked it so much

"Hm. Nothing specific. I'm sure you can guess what I like," Simon said, pulling his hand back.

Raz nodded and started pulling books from the shelves and passing them down to Simon. "I've read these before and thought they were pretty good. Pride and prejudice by Jane Austen is a favorite." He explained, balancing on the ladder while he opened another book and scanning through the story

"Hm. I thought it was boring," Simon said, smiling slightly. He took the books and opened them to the front page, reading a bit.

"huh, so maybe commentary on a relationship's struggles sprinkled with romance isn't for you…" He bunched his lips to the side and scanned through a few more stories. "What about a horror?" He asked, finding a small familia pamflet. "It's about a woman and her experience with an illness, stuck in a room with yellow wallpaper. Honestly really creepy." He said, slowly going back down the ladder with a few more books in his arms

"Ooh, yeah," Simon said excitedly. "That sounds good. Do you want me to hold those for you, dear?"

Raz blushed and nodded slightly, passing the books in his arms to Simon, allowing him to get down the rest of the steps more easily. "It's pretty short but it's really good, especially for the time that it was written in, it doesn't read like a classic." He continued on, genuinely excited that he could share a book he had loved with someone equally as interested. He scooped up the books he had set on the floor earlier and started down another shelf, "I know a few more books in the horror genra that i think you might like if you wanna take a look at those." He suggested, glancing over his shoulder at Simon

"Of course I want to look at them," Simon said, shifting his armload of books to be more comfortable.

Raz nodded enthusiastically, coming to a stop near and alcove of shelves was marked 'horror'. He set his books down on the floor beside him and started to scan through the titles. He pulled a grey book out and showed Simon. "This one's really good, it's about a bunch of people who go to this island by this stranger. The stranger accuses each person of death. They start getting killed off one by one based on a poem children sang in the past." He explained, turning back to the shelf again and pulling a red book. "This is another good one, though really gorey in my opinion."
(books in case you were interested - And then they were none by Agatha Christie
The troop by Nick Cutter (tw for animal abuse and Gore))

(oml thanks i was gonna ask)
"I'll read both; they sound interesting," Simon said. "Put them on the stack."

Raz nodded and set them to the side. "I think we have a healthy stack of books for now, I'm gonna have to go on a book buying ban for the next year!" Tax laughed with a pout, scooping up the stack on the floor again. "Wanna stay a little longer and explore or go home?" He asked, remembering that Noah was still at Simon's place.

"Do you want to get, like, coffee or something?" Simon said. "I know a good place that has boba."

"sure, that'd be great! I've never actually had boba before." He replied, balancing the books in his arms as they wove their way back through the shelves to the check out counter. "Wanna split? It's a lot, and we still have the coffee shop." He said, already fishing out a few twenties from his wallet.

Simon scowled at him. "I ask you out, I pay for it," he said. "And don't try to argue with me." Simon pulled his wallet out and handed the cashier his debit card. "If you say anything untowardly, I will kiss you to make you shut up."

Raz opened and closed his mouth a few times, absolutely ready to argue why he should at least pay half. "Fine, but I'm paying for coffee and dinner whether you kiss me or not." Raz replied with a huff, really not wanting Simon to pay for everything just because it was a date they were on. He tilted his head up defiantly, even as his heart beat wildly in his chest and his cheeks heated

Simon smiled. "Kitten, if you want me to kiss you, you just have to ask." He dipped his head and kissed Razielle lightly. "And who are you to stop me from paying for dinner?"