¿Futuro Novíos? Tal Vez

Taking a quick shower, brushing his teeth and washing his face, the junior leader got himself ready for the date. He made sure that his outfit was fashionable as well as functional. Santiago wore a black polo shirt, black jeans and combat boots with a jaguar printed belt to hold up his pants. After spraying himself with good smelling cologne, he went to the cocoa bean fields.

Santiago made sure everything was perfect for his date with Cyrus. He didn't want any problems or hiccups that might cost him a second date with him. He was all happy about making chocolate with his date when he realized that making chocolate took electricity and there was none in the fields. Yeah, so he made his way back to his dorm room to make it himself. Keeping the warm, thick liquid covered and out of harms way, Santiago quickly jogged to the market place, got some grapes, bananas, strawberries, raspberries, mangoes, and other pieces of fruit. After he left there, he went to set everything up.

He decided to leave his guitar at home. Spreading out a black blanket underneath a bean tree, he placed the pot of still warm chocolate in the center and the basket with the fruit in it beside the pot. Taking in a deep breath, Santiago stood in front of the blanket, waiting for Cyrus to show.

Cyrus was never late for a date: fun fact. As soon as Santiago got in contact with him, he had made sure to prepare since. He showered and besides deodorant and lotion, didn't put on anything else. He stepped out of his dorm smelling stereotypically like rain, his hands in the front pockets of his (very uncomfortable) black jeans. There wasn't much he could do to his short hair besides smooth it down a little, but he was proud of his grey button up. He had the cuffs rolled up and everything. See? He doesn't only own tank tops and t-shirts. He did one last roundabout on his Senior Warriors, told them to start settling down, and left the chicos' hall.

At exactly 6:00 PM, Cyrus arrived at the cocoa fields, wondering if somehow Santiago had managed to snag an electrical outlet in order to make chocolate. Of course they could always go traditional and grind the beans by hand but...yeah, that wasn't happening. He smiled when he saw Santiago without an electrical outlet, but with a pot and a basket on a blanket instead.

"Santiago!" Cyrus sang from about 20 feet away. He jogged closer to him in his - look, another surprise, - grey Converse and extended his arms. "Miras muy guapo. You know, I was wondering how we would make chocolate in the middle of the field. It seems that you have figured it out."

Santiago's ears perked when he heard a very familiar voice sing his name. He had recovered from the night before; taking Cyrus' advice about living in the now and instead in the future. His head turned toward the voice, seeing the son of Tlaloc dressed up for once. "Gracias, Cyrus. Tu eres muy guapo en gris y negro." He complimented in return. "I haven't seen you dressed up since...well never." He chuckled lightly, glancing down at the grey Converses and back up at his grey button up. Santiago made himself a mental note that Cyrus likes grey. Makes since.

He blushed a bit when made a statement making the chocolate. Santiago never blushed. "Yeah, I decided to just make the chocolate in my dorm, then bring it here. I also brought fruit to dip it in." The líder de juniors rubbed the back of his head. "So, would you like to sit?" Santiago crouched down near the blanket much like a cat would from a branch, then leaped to the other side, turned, and sat back on his knees.

"Gracias. Don't get used to it." Cyrus said in return, shifting his weight to his other leg. He looked over Santiago's clothing with a large grin, tugging at the jaguar belt around his hips. Cyrus had to say that Santiago cleaned up nicely. He then let his arms drop to his side and chuckled at the other leader's short story. He must have gone through quite a lot just for this chocolate. "How sweet. I knew there had to be some sort of kitten under all of that...scary jaguar stuff."

He noticed his blush, but figured that he probably shouldn't push him any further with more jokes. Cyrus waited for Santiago to leap out of the way (hot) before sitting down on the blanket with one leg folded beneath him. He pressed his lips together and kept his eyes trained on Santiago, not saying anything for a while. He kind of wanted to make a comment about wanting to dip things in chocolate but decided against it. "After you, Santiago."

He rolled his eyes playfully at Cyrus before glancing down at his belt being tugged. A part of him wanted to move closer to his date, but kept himself calm. "I won't get used to it. Trust me, I prefer you in less clothing." Santiago cursed himself when he said that. Come on, Santiago! It's the first date! He smirked, crossing his arms over his chest. "It's small, but it's there."

After got comfortable once, the junior leader stretched, like a feline. "Okay." Santiago opened the basket and pulled out a strawberry. Looking over the fruit to make sure it was perfectly ripe, he uncovered the pot and dipped the strawberry in. He was about to put it in his mouth, but he paused, having a wicked idea. "I was thinking. It would be interesting if we fed each other. Unless you don't want that." The Aztec demigod offered the chocolate dipped berry to him. His feelings wouldn't be hurt if Cyrus declined his offer.

Cyrus was trying his best to stay on his best behavior, but Santiago made it hard for him to bite his tongue. Eventually, he allowed one comment to slip. "Depending on how this date goes, we'll see." Okay. That was it from him for now, he promises. He moved into a more relaxing sitting position, leaning to the side to be supported by his elbow. This way he was very comfortable while being a little closer than normal to the other leader. He did say that they could be as unprofessional as they wanted to be out here.

When the fruit was offered to him, Cyrus had to pause for a moment to think it over. Then he slowly smiled and accepted it, biting the strawberry right from beneath the stem. He picked up a raspberry and dipped it. "I'm fine with it, Santiago. How have you been? I haven't seen you since we left on...not the best of terms." Cyrus held out the raspberry for Santiago to eat.

"I-I didn't mean it like that, Cyrus." He shook his head. Santiago didn't think that being on an official date would turn into some romantic dip-feeding-thing so quickly. Maybe his feelings toward the son of Tlaloc was more than he thought.

A shiver went down his back when took a bite of the strawberry. Santiago bit his lip and put the stem of the strawberry underneath the cocoa bean tree. He watched Cyrus engulf a raspberry in chocolate before he started talking again. Santiago's face hardened slightly when he mentioned the night before. "Oh, sorry about that. I just needed some fresh air and some time to think in the jungle. Weighing the pros and cons." He ate the raspberry from Cyrus' fingers, lingering slightly. The junior leader picked up a grape, looked it over, and dipped it in chocolate and offered it to his date. "What about you?"

"You didn't?" Cyrus, behave. "Well that's disappointing." Dammit, Cyrus. He looked up at the cocoa tree and licked his lips to rid them of chocolate, then back. This whole picnic idea was very creative. He had to give Santiago props for it.

"Weighing the pros and cons? Of what, if you don't mind me asking." He said as he finished chewing the berry. The same wicked smile played at his lips as Santiago ate the raspberry, but he was going to be on his best behavior for the rest of the evening. "It's been average, I guess. The seniors haven't done anything stupid. At least, nothing that I know about." He said before eating the grape. Gods, he loved grapes.

Santiago bit his lip. "Well, no seriously." Of course Santiago wanted to see his date with less clothes on, but that would have to wait till...well till they were officially boyfriend and jaguar. I'm just kidding.

He cleared his voice before continuing. "Of being your novío." The son of Tepeyollotl answered. "Pros: I have this amazing Aztec, I have someone to give all my affection to, not being single, being able to a part of you that no one else does." Santiago took in a deep breath, his eyes staring at Cyrus' chest. "Then there are the cons: You're a flirt, you've been with half the people at camp...you're flirt." Yes, he realized that he said that con twice. That was the point. Shaking his head, he changed the subject. "Anyways, that's good that your seniors are behaving themselves."

"If you say so. But if you change your mind, give me a heads up." Oh my gods someone stop him. He grabbed a piece of a banana and carefully dipped it, holding it out for Santiago.

"...Oh..." Cyrus shifted his weight a little at the word '"boyfriend" because, well we went over this. He played it cool though and listened to what Santiago had to say without getting stuck on that word. He listened to the pros, feeling a genuine smile trying to creep up on him before he forced it away. Even if the two were to - hypothetically - become novíos, Cyrus would be very cautious about opening up to him. It was who he was. As he listened to the cons, he laughed when he heard one twice. "Again, as far as I know. But your cons, Santiago, are very true. I can't exactly say that I'm sorry that they are."

Santiago looked at the chocolate dipped banana, causing him to blush deeply. Glancing up at Cyrus, then at the banana, he slid his mouth down it until half way. Taking off of the rest and chewing it slowly. There was a lot in his mouth, but he was able to swallow it gracefully. He didn't want to respond to Cyrus' comment so he just took the rest of the banana from him, dip it in chocolate and offered it back to the son of Tlaloc.

He shrugged his shoulders. "It's okay, I guess. We all have our flaws. I'm too primal, Brett is...is well Brett, and Margot is perfect." Santiago continued to hold out the banana for Cyrus to bite off of. "But let's talk about something else. Like how was life for you growing up."

Cyrus watched Santiago intensely, his eyes not looking away once as he ate the fruit. He realized then what he did without thinking about it. He could not say that he was sorry about that either. Cyrus also noticed that Santiago hadn't responded to him, which amused him further. He didn't break eye contact until he finished the rest of it, then rolled his eyes at the next few sentences.

"Ay dios mio, no me hagas empezar a él. Margot is always perfect, as is Maggie. ¿However, de quién fue la idea de elegir a...alguien como él? Permítanme detenerme, no son oídos en todas partes." Cyrus looked around the field to be sure no one else was there. He also knew that he was speaking a bit of (very fast) Spanglish, but that was only because of his sudden anger. A few of the clouds above started turning grey, but shifted back to white. "Okay, but life growing up. It was...normal, I guess. I used to get hurt a lot. Then again I still do."

Santiago chuckled lightly when Cyrus started speaking in Spanish. Shaking his head, he answered. "No sé, Cyrus, no sé. ¿Quizás Gonzalo opina apenada por él? And I'm not worried about anyone hearing me. If they have something to say to me they can say it to my face and not run and go tell like some little pu*a"Santiago wasn't scared of anyone and would kick anyone's ass if they had something to say. For real.

"Accidents huh? Did you need to wear a helmet or something?" He asked seriously. Santiago wanted to know for future reference. wink wonk.

"Tch," Cyrus scoffed. "¿Gonzalo? ¿Sintiendo lástima por alguien? If you say so." He looked around the fruit basket for different snacks when he came across a few cut up mangoes. He ate one plain, then dipped the other to prepare to feed Santiago. Speaking of, he chuckled and looked up at him. "Cute, but I don't want you getting into any trouble, Santiago. You're highly respected here, way more than that gringo. Mango?"

Cyrus was going to say no at first, but then he'd be lying. "...Yes. But only when I was outside. Y tu, Papi? How was your childhood?" He didn't linger over the term he just called him, but instead ate more grapes.

The son of Tepeyollotl raised an eyebrow. "Well, it's possible." Santiago had a strictly professional relationship with Gonzalo and knew that he had a soft spot for those others found annoying and irritating. Yes, there's a difference. He watched Cyrus get a couple of mango slices out of the basket. Eating one, the senior leader then offered him a dipped one. Santiago leaned in and took it from him with his teeth, swallowing the piece of fruit like a jaguar would a slab of meat. "That's true."

Santiago tried to imagine Cyrus with a helmet on his head. Actually, it wasn't that hard to. He was about to say how adorable he might've looked, but was caught by that one word "papi". His eyes grew in size and his hands started to feel sweaty. Santiago didn't know whether to ask him to call him that for now on or to kiss him. "Uh...I-I hm..." Santiago tried to recompose himself, but was having a hard time. "I kept to myself." He answered, staring at the basket. His fingers entered and grabbed some a couple of blueberries. The demigod offered Cyrus some.

Cyrus shrugged. "Who am I to judge? I've only met him one time. One...amazing time, really." His eyes drifted away to the blanket as he remembered his time with Gonzalo. It really wasn't magical at all. It was at a Leader meeting and Cyrus let him borrow his pen after his stopped working. Surprisingly, he hadn't been with the Primary Leader. Yet. He looked back in fascination as Santiago ate the mango piece. "Damn. Did you chew? Did that hurt?"

Watching Santiago's reaction was hilarious. So much so that Cyrus laughed for a while. Then he quickly straightened up and tried to return to his calm expression. "I can see that. You don't seem like you were very social or hyperactive as a kid. I wonder how much endurance you have now."

Santiago was about to ask him what he meant, but decided not to open that can of worms. However he could understand the attraction Cyrus had toward Gonzalo. "No, I just swallowed it. I don't really have gag reflex." He answered with a shrug of his shoulders. Apparently that was a good thing when it came to relationships. Of course Santiago didn't know that.

He enjoyed hearing Cyrus genuinely laugh. He had never heard him laugh before. It was beautiful. Santiago glanced away, staring at the blanket. "I-I just...I just like being on my own, observing people from a distance. I never really went on a date until José." His eyes flickered to almost feline, threatening ones for a quick second before going back normal. "And endurance wise I think I'm pretty good. Maybe I'll show you some time.

Cyrus didn't say anything. The reason was because of his inability to refrain from being so straight forward. He just nodded with a smug expression, putting his thumb sideways between his teeth to get the chocolate off of it.

"José, José...Isn't he the d*ck that you mentioned a few days ago?" Was that a little harsh? Yeah. But Cyrus didn't really have a filter anyway, so this was nothing for him to say. He noticed Santiago's eyes do a weird thing and hoped that this part of the conversation didn't turn dangerous. Then he chuckled. "If you can keep up with me, then you are a very skilled warrior. Then again I would have to see it to believe it."

Santiago nodded his head. "Yep, that's the mother fuc*er." Wow, he thought he got over José. Apparently not. He laid back on the blanket, his head resting near Cyrus' hand that was propping his body up. Santiago reached into the basket and randomly pulled out some raspberries. After dipping them in chocolate, he tossed them into his mouth, thanking the gods that he didn't choke. The son of Tepeyollotl got a couple of drops of the delicious liquid near his lips.

"Oh, and I can keep up, but the question is whether or not I want you to show you." He teased, raising his eyebrow at Cyrus. Santiago was flirting with his date. "Maybe after you let me in."

"What an ass." He mumbled, still somewhat cautious of offending Santiago. Cyrus didn't even know how that relationship had ended, but he just felt like anyone with the strength to hurt Santiago so much had to be one sick individual. Santiago had gotten more raspberries to eat, and Cyrus couldn't stop himself from grabbing one before it entered his mouth and eating it himself. He smirked down at the son of Tepeyollotl. "Why wouldn't you want to show me, Santiago?"

Cyrus then lowered his face to match up with Santiago's, his lips nearly brushing the Junior Leader's. He was giving him the opportunity to kiss him if he wanted to, and if he didn't want to then it would be all good. Cyrus wouldn't be mad. For now, he soaked in the closeness of Santiago for as long as possible. "Another thing that I can't promise." He said said quietly.

Santiago nodded his head once. "I agree completely." He raised an eyebrow at his date. The son of Tepeyollotl watched as Cyrus snatched one of the blueberries out from his grasp. If he had been anyone else, Santiago would've growled and punched them in the throat.

He looked up at Cyrus' lips hovering over his. "Because I don't..." Santiago whispered before closing the distance between the two. His lips lingered before pulling away with a click. "I forgot what I was about to say." He whispered, his eyes staring into Cyrus'.

Cyrus didn't like the topic of exes. It brought on too many questions that he didn't want to answer. However, with Santiago's response he knew that the topic of conversation was over. There was very little space between, way less than before. He waited for the other leader to say something more, but nothing else followed. Suddenly that space closed with Santiago's lips against Cyrus', his eyes gradually closing. When Santiago pulled away, the Senior Leader nearly fell forward.

"...You had chocolate on your face." Cyrus laughed a little bit, biting the corner of his lip and looking away from his date. For the first time in a very long while, he felt his face heat up. He sat up and scooted away a little bit, occupying his attention on the fruit inside of the basket. "Anyway, do you want anymore grapes? I'm probably going to finish them off."

A part of him wished he hadn't kiss Cyrus while the other...enjoyed it immensely. Santiago couldn't help, but to stare up at Cyrus while a smirk came across his face. "Well, gracias, hombre." He rolled his r's that sounded similar to a jaguar's purr of contentment. The son of Tepeyollotl continued his stare even after Cyrus moved toward the basket of fruit.

"No, puedas eat them." He exhaled sharply before slowly sitting up. Santiago studied Cyrus' body language closely and noticed that he was blushing. "Are you alright? Did I kiss okay?" Santiago hadn't kissed a guy in over three months.

"Anytime." Cyrus responded automatically with (as always) several other meanings implied. He didn't know how to really...feel about Santiago, you know? Kissing him was different from all of the other people he kissed. It felt wrong. But like it was an okay kind of wrongness. All of these mixed emotions were making him uncomfortable. The only thing that indicated such was the absence of clouds, but the subtle static.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm cool," He purposely hesitated on answering the scone question. He ate some of the grapes before turning back around to face Santiago, his smug look reappearing. "You were fine, Santiago, relajarse. But if you want reassurance then you could always try again." He raised an eyebrow as if daring him to. Maybe he liked the feeling of making himself uncomfortable, who knows?

Santiago could faintly feel the static in the air and especially around Cyrus. His own lips seemed to have a buzz to them after the kiss. He had only felt this once and that was the first time he kissed José. Santiago could smell Cyrus even though he moved away. It was like fresh rain fall. The junior leader shuddered slightly before glancing down at the blanket.

Cyrus didn't seem "cool", but Santiago didn't want any clouds to form by continuing to ask him. He looked up when he was asked if he wanted to try again. Santiago moistened his lips before slowly reaching his hand out and caressing the side of Cyrus' face. The son of Tepeyollotl leaned in and kissed the top of the other Aztec's forehead. "Maybe later. Right now I want to focus on you and who you are as a person. I get to those later." He whispered, glancing at his lips. He moved back to his original position.

OOC: OMG SANTIAGO SINGS THIS SONG TO CYRUS WHEN HE ASKS TO BE HIS BOYFRIEND- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEthfU2_j_8