[AU] Tripping on a Day of Destiny.

The streets were wet and slick. The sky, laden with heavy, dark clouds of a deep, rich charcoal. A sweet, clean, fragrant smell filled the air, smashing down the horrible smell of burning fuel consumed by the vehicles on the road.

It was raining. Hákon loved it.

It was the perfect kind of day. A rainy, wet, darkly shining Thursday, a day with no classes. He had a cup of strong black coffee, a small pastry... essentially breakfast.

Heaven.

Hákon could simply enjoy everything about this morning, and no one would interrupt him. No one. He'd specifically taken a table outside and just under the balcony to avoid people. He was immersed in the atmosphere, introspective and monochrome, becoming part of it, relishing it, delighting in it. His eyes drifted shut, his ears drifted open, taking in every drop of the oncoming rain as it hit the world with its soft splatter.

He really didn't want to bother him.

But the man came in everyday. Valentin always tried to say something when he was ordering, but never quite could bring himself to ever speak. Always ended up with, "Have a nice day".

He decided, as he stepped around the counter, nodding to the other man on shift, that it would be different today. He swallowed his pride, and grabbed a small cookie from in front of the counter—going empty handed might give off the wrong impression. Val only desired one thing from this man, and that was only to try and get to know him.

The Dane was a lonely man, had always been. Something about clinging to people and being paranoid of practically everything. He put on a fake smile, only about a quarter of it genuine, and stepped outside, the little bell above the door ringing.

He warily stepped over to him, and stood next to him. "Ej... Hej." He nodded.

The ringing of the bell alerted him first, then the footsteps tapping in time to the rhythm of the rain. Hákon slowly opened his eyes to look at the man at his side, the one who always handled his change at the register.

He blinked. Had he forgotten to do something at the register? He didn't think so... the man was nodding and smiling, but... at the same time, it reeked of spuriousness. Hákon's eyebrow danced up his forehead, like a dancer in mid-leap. Pale, pink lips parted to speak, the voice issuing from them calm and sweet, yet strong and clipped, much like the weather he loved so much. "...Ja? Did you need something?"

He wanted to shake his head, right then, and apologise, and leave, going back to kick himself mentally for even trying to talk to him behind the register.

He almost did, actually, when he took a step back, shaking his head in response to the question. "I... I just wanted to talk, is all..." His smile went nervous. "I... You come everyday, and... I'uno..." He couldn't force the words in his head out of his mouth.

"I-I'm Valentin Kiersted," he said, whispering slightly. His eyes danced.

Another brow elegantly rose to be with its partner. Hákon fixed tranquil blue eyes upon the other's brighter ones, almost as if he was judging him right then and there. The world seemed to freeze for a moment before Hákon finally closed his eyes again, sighing softly and nodding, gesturing at the chair next to him. "...Sit." A small smile dropped on his face, like a droplet of water tumbling into a still pool, changing his whole appearance from a solemn, gray med student to a much gentler, more welcoming young man. "I've been given the name Hákon Olsen. What should I call you, Mr. Kiersted?"

Val wasn't used to formality, but he'd be willing to give it a try.

He timidly sat down, not wanting to offend or anger the other—named Hákon, apparently—and all of his movements were slow, deliberate. He smiled a bit, and placed his hands in his lap after setting the cookie on the table. He nodded again. "Ah, you can call me Valentin, then. Or Val. Whichever you prefer."

He wasn't really used to people, or social places for that matter. He wasn't used to anything, really, that was outside of his neat-as-a-pin house. His words tripped over other words inside his head as he tried to think of what to say next.

A nod, and a soft smile, were the only things that indicated Hákon's acceptance of this title. Soft blue eyes gazed at the Dane, taking in his entire countenance like he could pick up all the nuances of Valentin's character. He could see, from the slowness and wariness of his motions, just how unused Val was to another's company. He could see, from the shaky smile on his face, that he was nervous, almost afraid of speaking with him. "You... you can call me either Hákon or Olsen. Either is fine."

Hákon's hand reached over and broke the cookie in two, pushing one half towards his companion, and bringing the other to his napkin. He made sure to take the smaller half-- Valentin, to him, didn't seem to eat enough.

He nodded as well, and stared at his half of the cookie for a few moments before glancing back up at him. "Ah... It was meant to be fully for you..." He shied away a bit but picked it up and nibbled on it.

Val smiled, and tried to kick-start small talk. "So... ... You come here everyday..." He paused. "You look... like a student, that goes to the university down the road...?" He left it a question, just in case he was wrong.

He probably was wrong.

Cobalt blue stared back at the Dane, absorbing all the information the man presented. Hákon smiled back, resting his chin on his hand, and crossing his ankles under the table. "Ja, I am. I'm a graduate student, actually." Without thinking, he gently reached over and smoothed the other one's hair, seeing it fluff up angrily from the humidity. "How long have you been working here, Valentin?"

He winced away partially. "Eh... A few years. Paying off tuition." He smiled softly at him. "What do you major in? You always look... like you have a serious major." He nodded, and continued to nibble at the cookie.

He was trying to block out the fact a practical stranger was touching his hair. He winced several times, though.

Sharp eyes caught the wincing, and Hákon immediately withdrew his hand. "Ah... sorry. It just... looked kind of... crazy." He blushed and looked away, really unwilling to admit this. "I... I can be a little odd about that, sometimes." A sigh escaped his lips. "Ah... I'm a medical student... I'm training to be a doctor." A pause. "What did you major in, if I may ask?"

His face drained of colour, and he immediately regretted talking to him. Well, only partially regretted it. "A-A doctor?" He tried to look happy for him. "Ej, that's very cool!" He nodded shakily, his voice getting a bit shakier than usual.

Val smiled. "Ej, I... I was an art major. I usually do commissioned work for advertisements and...that...stuff..." He shifted uncomfortably.

Silence.

Silence that was pure, and absolute, save for the quiet tinkle of the rain on the sidewalk. Hákon could see quite clearly Valentin's reaction to his chosen major... He didn't even notice how his own face fell, though it was only slight. He wondered to himself-- was there something wrong with a degree in medicine? It wasn't really his primary choice... but his friends and family had insisted, telling him he'd be able to help so many. Eventually, he spoke up, looking out at the rain. "A-ah. That sounds wonderful..." He sighed, closing his eyes, his windows, once more. "I wish I could be that creative..."

Eventually he stood. "I... I uh, I'm sorry. I've taken up enough of your time..." I've terrified you too much... "I... I'll leave you to your day... I wish you good health, ja?"

He gasped softly and grabbed his hand, half-standing. "E-Ej... Actually..." He blushed furiously and let go of the other's hand, but stood up fully. He glanced at the ground, at all the little cracks in the cemented ground. "I-I really don't have much left to do... I-If you're willing to wait a-a few minutes, I can probably get off work early... A-And we could... Go out for brunch..."

He sighed, and took a step away. "B-But... You probably have important things to do." He glanced up and smiled weakly.

Soft red tinged across Hákon's face, and he shyly reached out and touched Val's hand-- but quickly decided he must have pulled back so rapidly on purpose, and snatched his hand away, burying them in his pockets. "I-- uh, that sounds... that sounds nice." For some reason, he felt really flustered-- he couldn't understand why. He just MET this person, but all he wanted to do... was take care of him, maybe even mother him a little bit. He...

He wanted to hold him tightly, and never, ever let him go.

"A-ah, nej. Not today. I have no classes today..." Hákon sat patiently. "I'll wait here, ja?"

Val's smile grew a bit more genuine. "A-Ah? R-Really?!" His smile grew a bit more even. He nodded. "A-Alright! P-Please wait...!" He walked inside, shoving the urge to run down, and walked behind the counter.

His back was against Hákon as he spoke, but he nodded, and pointed behind him once. The other tender on duty glanced at Kon, and then back at Val, then nodded, eyes lighting up. He hugged Val softly, patting his back.

Valentin bowed slightly, and walked back out, after taking his apron off. His eyes were full of emotion--happiness. "E-Ej... Ready? Where would you like to go?"

Cobalt blue followed Val as he went about his business, eventually resting on the lighter blue eyes smiling back at him. Háakon smiled himself, standing. "Ej. Anywhere is fine." He stretched slightly just barely ghosting his fingers along Val's shoulder when he raised his hands. He couldn't stop touching him-- even if it was slight, like this. A mere brush of fabric against his hands.

Arms dropped back down, and scooped up his wallet-- Hákon was in the habit of keeping his wallet on the table with him whenever he sat down in a place like this. Too many pickpockets were under the age of six, after all...

He barely noticed the touch. Which probably would've been a good thing. God knows what would happen if he had noticed...

He decided to not question the wallet. It was probably an odd perk. And who was he to question odd perks?

Val nodded again. "Alright... There's this restaurant up the street, as you know..." He began to walk out from under the balcony, then realised it was still raining. "...Ej..." He runs back inside for an umbrella, opened it, and beckoned Hákon to join him beneath it. He wouldn't let someone with such a pretty face get wet.

Too bad it was one of those travel size umbrellas that was really only meant for one person.

Hákon's chuckle reverberated throughout his being, seeming to make his face more alive than ever; his deep blue eyes shone with a tenderness the likes of which he'd never felt in his life. "Ah, let's share mine, ja?" He retrieved his umbrella, a long black one that matched his coat-- it was much larger and could shield two people at a time. He opened it and walked close to his companion, shielding them both. "That way, neither of us gets wet, ja?"

He stared and smiled, putting his own umbrella away. "Ah... Alright. That works." He grinned, and their shoulders and arms brushed up against one another as they walked. Valentin, as by habit, walked quite fast, as if to get away from some unknown force that was chasing him slowly.

Splish splash~ Hákon enjoyed the splashing noises they made as they moved quickly across to the restaurant across the way. He tried to walk at Val's side, but wound up walking just behind him. He loved the contact-- but he couldn't quite keep up. A mental sigh... Oh well, he'd just have to hope he had more chances soon.

Val sighed softly, and stood at the door, letting Kon put away the umbrella. He smiled at him before walking in--though he wanted to hold his hand walking in, he didn't. I mean, he had just learned his name, right? He was worried it might offend the other, and he wouldn't ever get to see him again.

They were seated in a few minutes, in a table in the corner, away from the window--specifically asked for. Valentin smiled softly at the waitress, but avoided eye contact, as he ordered an iced tea for himself.

Sharp eyes and ears once again caught more shades to Val's behavior-- so, Hákon took a seat next to Valentin rather than across from him, so that neither had their backs to the window. He hoped that made him a little more comfortable... though inwardly he'd admit that he did it just to sit by him. He would never admit this aloud, though. Hákon ordered a soda-- he'd grown rather fond of them after spending so much time with a best friend who was totally addicted to it.

Hákon's face softened as he watched Val, wondering if he'd ever be trusted enough to be allowed to touch him, even a little. Just a little... He didn't notice his eyes grow distant or his mind turn blank... Yes. He was zoning. And zoning peacefully, too, completely at ease with Valentin at his side.

He had no other choice.

Valentin reached out next to him and patted Kon on the shoulder softly. "Hey... She wants to know our orders for food..." He didn't know the other well enough to order for him. Their drinks had come, and he was sipping quietly at it.

He enjoyed having him next to him. He had always felt like people who sat on the opposite side didn't really like each other. They tried to sit as far away as possible.