Cute. Reks did not want to be cute. Still, being cute was better than being awkward, he supposed, but still. One of the main reasons why he loathed his cat ears was because they were so damn cutesy – how was anyone supposed to take him seriously when he was sporting a pair of fluffy cat ears atop his head? He took it as a complement, though – at this point, he knew Solae was, at best, honest, and at worse, a tease. Plus, the kiss she delivered to his neck was enough to erase any grumpiness he might've been feeling toward the matter.
But if he had those cat ears now, they would've perked up in surprise at her confession – that she had never been in a relationship before. He tilted his head, earnestly curious. "Really?" he asked, unable to believe it. "Not even one?" It seemed so surreal. He had just assumed that she would've had a relationship in the past before – after all, she was talented, flirty, confident...
And she wanted him, of all people, to be her boyfriend? (Her first boyfriend? His first girlfriend?) It was impossible, for him to believe that a guy like him could maybe, possibly, be in a relationship with her. What was so good about him that she'd propose this? Just a few seconds ago, he had been ready to tear his heart out in order to prove how serious he was about fixing his mistake, and now... this? His eyes widened, and in his head, he thought furiously, play it cool, play it cool, play it cool, hoping that he hadn't turned red.
But – how was this going to work? A mage hunter and a mage – that just didn't seem logical, no matter which way he sliced it. Just because he happened to have all these feelings for Solae, that didn't mean... that didn't mean he could just push away so many years of prejudice, not in one night. Didn't he have a agreement with his boss – the mysterious woman in La'marri, dressed in elegant robes? Hadn't she given him some purpose in his life? Who was he to betray that? Who was he to be so vain as to think, even for a second, that this could work?
But that was Reks – foolish, and reckless.
"If you don't mind having a guy like me for a boyfriend," Reks started, with a laugh. "then, yeah, I... I'd definitely want that." Trying to sound as casual as possible, his voice was pensive, peppered with a plethora of those emotions again, running through him like a locomotive. He didn't know exactly what he meant by a 'guy like me' – a delinquent, maybe, a wanderer, a kid who didn't even know who he was, but – if he knew one thing, it was that he wanted Solae, with every fiber of his being, for some inexplicable reason that he couldn't explain.
She promised him softly – that she'd make his best kept secret go away. Was he even ready, for such a thing? She seemed to know without him saying anything that it didn't have to be tonight – some other time, then. He nodded, breathing out a sigh of relief. "I don't think I'm ready yet – for that kind of thing," he said softly, shaking his head. "I still feel as if I have to make it up to you – for what I said." For what he did. "When I finally do show you, that I'll always be here – I think then... then, I'll be ready."