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We only learn as much as we are able to believe.

"No leather jackets, then. They can chew on my hair, I guess. But not my ears. I sort of have sensitive ears, and I'd rather not throw a boner because of a bird, that would be really weird," Neil said. He blinked - trade secrets. He should have seen that coming. "I was just curious," he said. "Just wanted to know how much the birds could fuck me up if they wanted to." He snorted.

It wasn't long before he pulled up outside the station. He got out of the car, careful of the bird on his shoulder. He waited for Jones to join him before he locked the door. "Well, I'll uh... see you tonight, I suppose," Neil said. Strangely, he was kind of looking forward to it. A date with a user. Weird.

"I'll pick you up at your place? Is that okay?"
 
It was oddly sweet to see Neil take such care with his little passenger. The bird came back to Dominic when outside – it was obvious that they did not like being too far away from him, just in the same way that he got twitchy when he was entirely alone.

“Sure. I'll go have no fun whatsoever in my little cubicle now.” Dominic raised a hand in a wave when they parted in the corridors, going back down to his own section of the office. It looked even smaller than it actually was, due to the piles of paper, a crate of DVDs, a perch and things to chew on for the birds. It wasn't the most bizarre user's office, to be fair. Down the corridor there was a pyromancer who kept ever burning flames in glasses all over his desk.

The work was dull, and the more boring it was, the more he kept thinking about the evening. The birds napped, chattered at him, tried to dissuade him from getting involved, stole a biscuit from next door for him. They didn't seem to entirely approve, but they were not going to sabotage the date.

Mysteriously, he disappeared from work exactly on time to go home and get ready. Shower. A fresh shirt. Matching socks. These things tended to help. In front of the mirror he'd realised that his hair looked like a birds' nest – which it was sometimes – and that he had been walking around like that all day. He combed it out and retied it neatly. He went for a slightly more polished look than for work, with a sharp jacket. The birds helped too, a little. Not in the disney-style, of course, but they did bring him a couple of bone rings, to prevent him from looking like a waiter. Simple carved rings that went on his index and his middle finger, yellowed with age. Let everyone know that Neil was going out with a necromancer.

As he waited, one of the birds curled up in his shirt pocket, while the other remained her more familiar place on Dominic's shoulder. They were nowhere near as good in the evening. Bird-brains meant that they kept wanting to sleep.
 
The day was long and arduous. Despite Neil's constant evidence chasing, he turned up absolutely nothing. By the end of the day, he was sat in his office trying very hard not to daydream about the upcoming date with Jones and where it might lead. He kept having to drag his mind out of the gutter. Neil was the kind of man who usually stayed at work well past anyone else - with no kids, no boyfriend and very few hobbies, work was pretty much his life. Tonight, he could hardly wait to get out of there, leaving on time.

Neil was nervous. This was a little different to his usual dates - for one, he couldn't decide that he hated Jones and never speak to him again. If the date went terribly, he would still have to see the other male every day. He hadn't dated a user in years and years (or at least he hadn't been aware of any guys that were users, some could hide it or weren't aware themselves). And then there were those damn birds.

Still, he arrived on time. Neil did one final check over of himself - he'd gone for blue jeans and a t-shirt, because it was at complete odds with how he looked at work. The t-shirt was a little too tight, showing off hard muscle, the body of an active man that took care of himself. Neil took a deep breath and got out of the car, knocking at Jones' door. He was really going to do this.
 
Dominic jumped when he heard the door, and tried not to run to it too fast. One part of this had gone well – Neil had not been deterred by the spell symbols carved into the front of the door. Dominic had given up hiding anything a long time ago, and learned that ward-spells were better than locks, and open existence meant that less trouble came his way. Sure, he lived in a shitty area of town, and his neighbours were probably drug dealers, but he did not have to be paranoid about what other people thought.

“I was wondering if you were going to turn up.” Considering the dislike of the user-thing that Neil had shown, Dominic had really not been sure. “Let me just lock up.” That was not anything like the physical action of turning a key in a lock, but the symbols on the door briefly glowed and shifted as Dominic touched them. The birds were so impressed by all this, that all that happened was that one on his shoulder scooted up closer to his neck, leaning on it, apparently asleep, and the other did not even stir from the pocket.

“You look good, by the way.” Dates were meant to start with a compliment or two, of course. Neil's work clothes were so unflattering that Dominic was pleasantly surprised... Though admitting that would be no flattery at all. “Where are you taking me?”
 
It was all a little unsettling, though if Neil were honest, it wasn't the magic that made him uncomfortable. It was what a user could do when they lost control. Little things like ward spells were stuff he'd all seen before - stuff that he'd been fascinated by as a child, even. He shifted faintly, waiting for Jones. When the other appeared, Neil relaxed for a brief moment before tensing again. He felt distinctly under-dressed. Also, he noticed the rings immediately - he didn't exactly want to broadcast the fact that he was going on a date with a necromancer, but he didn't say anything. He understood pride.

"Thanks," he said, taking a step back and rubbing awkwardly at the back of his neck. "Though I feel kind of like I should have worn a shirt, now," he admitted, looking over Jones, a long, lingering look that he didn't hide. "You look good, too." He met the other man's eyes.

"To a steak house," he said. "One of my favourites. Really dying for a steak, and they're good and pretty cheap, so. I thought it might be nice." No breaking the bank and a decent meal followed by a fuck. Definitely his idea of a good night out. "Does that sound okay?" And that was the sub in him - seeking approval.
 
Dominic couldn't resist smiling – he liked being admired. He wasn't to everyone's taste, certainly, as thin and lean as he was, but there wasn't that much he could do about it. Necromancy ate up something physical. It wasn't good diets that ensured there wasn't a single chubby necromancer. He did know that he was good looking enough though, with his sharp features and dark hair. Wouldn't make it as a model, but could have been a really handsome undertaker.

Oh, good. Cheap was quite important, even if Dominic would not want to publicly admit that. Last time he'd asked for a raise, he got reminded that he did keep human remains in his house, and did he want it searched?

“Sounds good,” he replied, walking down to Neil's car. “I promise not to resurrect the cow,” he joked. Was it the right sort of time for terrible necromancy jokes? Probably not yet... If ever.
 
Luckily for Dominic, thin and lean was definitely to Neil's tastes. He liked the sharp features, the angles of the other man's face and body. Part of him even liked the fact that Dominic was a necromancer, the danger associated with that, the control. If he thought about it too hard, it made him fidget, and not entirely in a bad way.

"Good, because I like it rare, but I don't like it that rare," Neil said, getting in the car. He leaned across to open the door for Jones from the inside - that was about as close to chivalry as he got. "It's not too far from here," he said. "You're not going to want wine or anything are you? Because I'm not a wine drinker. And unless you want a bottle to yourself..." Well, he supposed Jones could buy by the glass, but it was ridiculously expensive that way.
 
“Last time I drank alcohol I decided to spend the night digging up a seventeenth century murder victim for a chat. It broadens my death-sense, it's not nice.” It also loosened his hold on his power, and opened his mind to influences of other spirits. Being semi-possessed and being able to locate every dead thing in the district was a deeply uncomfortable feeling. “It doesn't affect me like normal people. It's more like... I don't know. An LSD trip would be for you.” At least Dominic was relatively harmless while out of his head. He just wanted to talk to things.

“So, yeah, if you ever think making me tipsy makes me easier... It doesn't.” The conclusion to the story. “They're not going to mind the birds, are they?” Some places could be touchy, effectively banning users by banning animals.
 
"Right, well, pretty much never, ever going to get you drunk, then," Neil said. That was scary, and something that he'd keep in mind - alcohol wasn't good for a necromancer. Maybe for most users. That actually made a lot of sense. He wished that he'd known that sooner. "At least that was all you wanted to do - invite someone for a chat," Neil said, then snorted. "Although I suppose he wasn't pleased."

He glanced over at Jones. "No, I checked," Neil said. He didn't bring up the fact that he'd had to re-make plans when he realised that his first choice didn't allow animals in. It was frustrating to be on this side of things again - it made him remember how hard it could be to be a user, or be with one. The kind of prejudice that followed it. "The rings might raise a few eyebrows, but we should be fine."
 
"Well, he seemed a bit bored, to be honest... I don't think I was making that much sense. Now, who really wasn't pleased were the gardeners that found me and a skeleton sitting in their flower-beds. The flower beds that I dug up, and they placed yesteday. One of them was a plant mage, and man was he pissed off I'd hurt his tulips... He tried to beat me with a shovel." And then they all got warned for disturbing the peace by a passing policeman. Harmless, really, but what sort of friends had let him wander off in that state? Sheer stupidity. If getting a necromancer drunk, then better have time to look after him.

"What a lovely and thoughtful man you are turning out to be," Dominic teased. He supposed it should be expected, if Neil had dated a violent and a screwed up user... No doubt whoever that had been, he was even twitchier than Dominic was. "I'd give you a little kiss, but you're driving."
 
"I can't decide if that story is hilarious or disturbing," Neil said. "Probably a little bit of both." It was the kind of 'smashed off his ass' drunk story that any guy might have, minus the skeleton and the plant mage. God only knew Neil had woken up somewhere strange after having done something weird enough times in his life.

"Hah, I just want you in a good mood. My aim for this evening is absolutely to get laid and I don't think you'd be in the mood if we had to go home hungry because your birds weren't allowed in." It was more than that - he wanted Dominic's approval. Some part of him wanted the other to like him. That part of him also drank up the compliments, even if the other was teasing him. "You can kiss me when I park up," he added, and then did just that. He turned to Dominic expectantly, raising his eyebrows.
 
It was rare that people were so honest with their desires. Dominic was more used to being the one making those suggestions, but it was interesting to have things the other way. People tended to be more shy when they were worried about offending necromancers, and half the time they didn't even have the right idea about what he could and couldn't do. This was better.

“Kissing in cars? What are we, teenagers?”

Felt a bit weird, just being expected to do it. A first kiss with someone should be at least a little special... He could just be contrary and refuse, of course, delay it till later, but why not now? He wrapped his hand around the back of Neil's neck and pulled him closer. (No squishing, with a bird in his pocket.) Placing his other hand on Neil's leg for balance, he leant forward a little to touch their lips together. He slid his hand along, squeezing the inside of Neil's thigh. Close, but not as close as he could have.

“There. That's all you get until dessert.”
 
The fact of it was, when it came down to is, Neil trusted that Jones meant him no harm. To his credit, the other had shown nothing but control and decorum in the time that Neil had known him. That went a long way to assuaging a lot of Neil's fears and allowing him to act like he almost normally would on a date.

"Kissing in cars is absolutely not just for teenagers," Neil said, grinning at the other male. He shifted, leaning into the kiss, going willingly when Dominic pulled him closer. Neil immediately parted his lips, submissive and willing. He spread his legs just a little, letting Dominic slide a hand up his thigh, leaning into the contact. The squeeze made him grunt. Tease.

"That was nice," he said, pulling back, his lips slick and red. He shifted, then got out of the car, shutting the door behind him. Fuck, now he couldn't wait to get through dinner. "I don't suppose I could convince you to take me home, order in a pizza and fuck me stupid?"
 
“Nope,” Dominic replied, smiling lazily. “It would be more fun making you wait, don't you think?” He had far more patience than most people gave him credit for. It might be a necromancer thing, knowing a few hours either way make no difference in the end. But how willing Neil seemed to be did make him consider the offer, at least a briefly. This might be far more interesting than he thought. Before they went in the restaurant, however, Dominic leant across and kissed Neil's neck. “Don't worry, I won't torture you too much. Unless we have a nicely concealed table.”

The birds woke up at the hubbub of people in the restaurant, and the one in his pocket blinked blearily at Neil, in a 'are you really going to do this' sort of way. They liked having more of Dominic's attention, after all. Dominic would bet all his spare change that Neil probably liked it better with them asleep.
 
"Yes," Neil said. Surprisingly, he agreed. Anticipation was a sweet, wonderful thing that often left him gagging for it by the end of the evening. The more eager for it he was, the better it was. At least in his opinion. He shivered lightly at the kiss to his neck, looking down at Dominic and smiling - genuinely, for once. It reached his eyes, warming them. He decided not to mention that he'd welcome Dominic torturing him as much as he damn well liked.

Neil gave his name - he'd made a reservation, and they were led to a table. A nice table in the corner - he'd requested it personally. He ate at the place often enough that he knew what he wanted. "I have a potentially offensive question to ask," he said, eyeing the birds, then looking at Dominic. "What will... where will the birds be when we... well...you know?"
 
Dominic surreptitiously checked the viewpoint of everyone else in the place before sitting down.

All three pairs of eyes stared at Neil. It just wasn't something people generally asked, but then again, not an issue that came up often. “Where they feel like – what else do you think. They like high places and good vantage points. Tops of furniture, curtain rails, that sort of thing.” Dominic was being deliberately obtuse, just because the question was so vague. Ordering a familiar around was something considered a bit crass, and while Dominic might ask nicely every so often, his lovebirds generally did what they liked to.

“What, worried you can't get it up with girls watching?” he asked, picking up the menu. "Their actual names are Ida and Maja, but certain individuals-" Probably meaning Dominic's family members. "- call them Fluffles and Snuggles. Thought I should introduce you properly. If, you know."
 
"I know that," Neil said, a little exasperated. He didn't know loads about birds, but he generally knew they liked to sit on perches and high places and all of that. He helped himself to a menu, opening it up in front of him so he didn't have to look over at Dominic. "Do they... prefer Ida and Maja or Fluffies and Snuggles?" Neil asked, raising his eyebrows. "But yes, a formal introduction was probably a good idea." Fuck, he felt ridiculous.

"And I don't know, I don't really want to... I mean no offence to them or anything, but is it possible that they could maybe just... wait in the living room?" Neil asked, wincing slightly. The idea of having his brains fucked out whilst birds looked on wasn't exactly the most appealing in the world.
 
“Depends how much they like you.” It was doubtful that Neil could ever be able to tell the difference between the two, let alone which name applied to which. No one had ever got far enough in their good graces to be allowed to find out. Dominic knew by tiny differences in behaviour, but otherwise the two were perfectly identical. One egg, and a very complicated spell. It was a very precious thing for a necromancer to be able to make something impossible live.

“I suppose you could ask them to.” As much as this was making Neil uncomfortable, Dominic did want to know how Neil would look talking to them. Many people didn't know what to do around familiars. Most just couldn't work out what was the animal and what was that other, more primal intelligence. “They do understand you, even if you do not understand them.”
 
"I see," Neil said. "Well, I don't think they like me very much, so." He eyed the birds. At least the dislike was mutual. Neil busied himself back in his menu. He looked up at the suggestion that he should ask them. He hadn't even thought of that, which was silly, really. It had been a long time since he'd had to deal with familiars, but he had dealt with them before. They made him uneasy, but he wasn't a complete idiot.

"Would you mind very much waiting outside while Dominic and I are in the bedroom together?" he asked the birds, as directly as possible. If they insisted on watching, he would have to manage. It would be unsettling, but not impossible. Although somehow his pyromancer's two-headed snake had been less creepy then the birds would be. Maybe because they seemed more intelligent.
 
They chattered at each other, discussing it. Something they thought made Dominic mutter 'perverted voyeurs' while he decided to study the dessert section of the menu. Really, steak place. What was there to pick except a bit of meat, medium, and a leaf or two of vegetable to go along with it?

“They've decided to humour you, by the way,” Dominic interpreted. He had still barely suppressed his snort of laughter at the curious formality that Neil had used. “Though I'm not sure what the point is, since they always have a sense of my emotions.” As he did of theirs. It made it seem sometimes that they were one and the same.

“So we're going to do in in the bedroom, are we? Not say, over the kitchen table or on the living room floor?” he asked after a moment, waving a waiter over.
 
"I know," Neil said. "I suppose if we keep doing this I'll have to get used to the birds being in the room, too. But it just feels weird if they watch." He shrugged awkwardly, setting the menu aside - he knew what he wanted. "Though the whole... them sharing your emotions thing is kind of weird. If I make you come, do they come?" he asked, making a face. Fuck, users just got weirder and weirder.

"I thought the bedroom might be a good place to start, but if we don't make it there then so be it," Neil said, grinning over at Dominic. He looked up as the waiter appeared, ordering a very large rare steak with a side of pretty much everything and a double whiskey and coke with a glass of water on the side. His idea of a perfect meal.
 
Dominic put the menu down and covered his face with his hands, shaking with laughter. “No. Really.” The birds chirped in irritation at their perch no longer being stable, and flew to the table. “We know, but we don't feel the same thing.” Otherwise he would spend most of his day thinking about fruit and the state of his feathers. And probably go to bed as soon as the sun went down.

“A lot to be said for a good kitchen table,” Dominic mused, even as the waiter stood there. He ordered the usual for himself: a nice medium steak, chips, sparkling water, salad with no dressing, water in a wide cup, preferably bowl. The waiter did not seem particularly impressed by the last one, perhaps thinking that the place was above providing small baths for birds. As it was, Dominic was relaxed, even as one of the two hopped onto his hand. He stroked her idly with his thumb. He leant back a little, stretching his legs under the table, and not casually at all brushing Neil's calf. Small table. Not much distance between them.
 
"Well, that's a relief," Neil said - he wasn't sure he liked the idea of being able to make birds come. That was frankly probably one of the most disturbing thoughts he'd had all day, and his job was to hunt down murderers. "I have a good kitchen table," he said. "Nice and sturdy." He smirked over at Dominic, shifting a little as the other's leg brushed his calf under the table. Neil brushed right back, leaning back in his chair, watching the birds and Dominic with some amusement.

"I'm surprised your hair has stayed nice for so long, the way they like to play with it," he said. "I bet it'll look like a nest again before the night is through."
 
"They're a bit sleepy," Dominic said. "Too lazy to put the effort in 'making it look nice'." They still had a nesting instinct, and there was more than one little hollow in Dominic's house stacked with spare fluff and his hair. "They like chewing it too..." With need to keep wearing their beaks down, they could happily chew everything. Its value was irrelevant to them. He had learned to keep spare power cables for everything. Both of the birds fitted into only one of his hands. "They were so irritating when they were younger. Took them forever to work out they can't fly through glass." Apparently he was behaving like an embarassing parent, because he got bitten.

"The only thing I wouldn't trust them with is wardrobe choices," Dominic admitted. "They like very bright colours, and since I'm colourblind, I can't always tell if it's clashing..." Hence why he stuck with black and white. No need to spend hours working out if things were red, orange or green. "You can pet them a little, if you want. They will let you pick them up." It was a part of Dominic's courting ritual to see how people behaved with them. When someone else touched them, he always tensed up. Their bones were so soft and fragile compared to human fingers, and their hearts so tiny and quick.
 
"Yes, I definitely noticed that they like chewing it," Neil said, smiling. Dominic was frankly adorable when his hair was all messed up, a bird grooming it into its preferred position. He almost preferred the other man's hair to be a horrible mess - it suited him better, somehow. Neil eyed Dominic, getting a strong urge to release the other's hair of its tie and run his fingers through it until it was messy and stuck up everywhere.

"A lot of birds die flying into glass," he said. "Necks snap. Glad to hear they worked it out before that fate fell on them, I'm sure that would have been devastating." He looked over at Dominic, then laughed. "I didn't know you were colour blind," he said. "I wouldn't have put so much effort into the exact shade of this shirt if I'd known." He snorted.

The offer to hold the birds made him hesitate. "I'm clumsy," he said. "They're so little. I don't want to hurt them." He paused, then held a cautious finger out.
 
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