Edited by: ASaltedFish
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After hanging up the video call, Ellery looked over at Akimitsu with a grin on his face. "Did you see how close Edros and Juniper were? It's only a matter of time before those two officially get together!"
"I saw!" Akimitsu cheerfully responded, just as happy as Ellery about their Edros and Juniper's relational development. "Edros practically couldn't take his eyes off of Juniper. The atmosphere between those two is like pink bubbles now. Even Juniper, unconsciously, leaned up against Edros multiple times in his excitement!"
"I know, I saw that too! Juniper doesn't like physical contact all that much, so it's definitely a sign that Juniper relies on Edros emotionally. Though I think Juniper is still a bit unsure of his feelings… If he still doesn't get it by the time we get back, should we give him a hand?"
"Hmm… That's a good question. Juniper isn't the best when it comes to social interaction, so maybe it would be best to give him some guidance? Or we could at least answer any questions for him if he has any. I'm sure he has some confusion when it comes to romantic feelings."
"Then, let's tell him that if he has any questions about feelings, he can come to us or ask his therapist!"
The two looked at each other and nodded. It was best to take it slow so as not to overwhelm him. They decided to let Juniper sit with his feelings until they came back. With that worry out of the way, Ellery and Akimitsu continued their vacation around Hezyria.
Akimitsu created a full itinerary for their trip, so Ellery was surprised at every turn, having the time of his life.
*****
Yang Saem was sitting in a daze after a guiding session with Juniper. Once a week, Juniper worked hard to stabilize Yang's spiritual sea and was at the point where Yang could seek out other guides if needed.
After their guiding sessions, Juniper and Yang talked about different topics, especially ones about Juniper's collection. Even though Yang didn't understand the appeal of crystals, he was a bit curious to see Juniper's collection.
Juniper saw this as his chance to convert someone, so that day, he took Yang and Edros with him to his collection at Ellery's estate.
Juniper and Edros spent their days together, getting closer and closer. Juniper felt that he could enter a relationship with Edros at any time; he just didn't know how to respond to Edros.
He's never been in a romantic relationship before, so everything was new to him… Hmm, he needed to find a time to talk with Ellery by himself so he could ask Ellery for his opinion.
After another day together, Juniper, for the first time, asked Edros if he could talk with Ellery alone.
"I understand. If you need anything, you can send me a message." Even though Edros looked a little sad, he knew that they couldn't spend all day together.
Seeing Edros' lonely back, Juniper felt a bit bad, but he needed advice from Ellery about Edros, so it didn't make sense to have him there.
Juniper sat on the bed by himself and accepted the call from Ellery. As always, Ellery was with Akimitsu, but it was the first time they saw Juniper by himself.
"Eh? Where's Edros?" Akimitsu seemed confused. He always had Edros' schedule, even on vacation, so he knew that Edros was free and didn't have anything for the evening.
Juniper got straight to the point. "I told him I wanted to talk with Ellery by myself today… I need to ask you two something about relationships."
Ellery and Akimitsu looked at each other, surprised but excited, and gave Juniper 200% of their attention.
"Did you two get together already?!" Ellery excitedly asked. He thought it would take Juniper a bit more time, but he was pleasantly surprised by Juniper's emotional intelligence time and time again.
He shook his head. "No, not yet… I don't know how to respond to Edros. He already confessed to me, but I told him I needed a little more time. Now, I feel ready to start our relationship, but I don't know how to bring it up."
Ellery nodded his head. He could see why Juniper needed help.
"Maybe you can plan a date, and at the end of the date, you can confess to him!" Akimitsu suggested a straightforward solution.
Edros did take Juniper on a few dates, but the dates were very private because they both didn't like being surrounded by people. Their dates also centered around their shared interests and favorite foods, so it was comfortable for him.
It would be Juniper's first time planning a date if he decides to go with Akimitsu's suggestion.
"Ellery, what do you think?" Though Juniper took Akimitsu's suggestion to heart, he also wanted to hear what Ellery thought.
Honestly, Ellery liked Akimitsu's idea. Additionally, it would provide Juniper with experience in planning dates. He knew Juniper had never initiated a date before, so it would definitely be a surprise for Edros. "I think that's a good idea. You can also get him a gift, too, if you can find something he will like."
"Then… Where should I take Edros?"
Ellery quickly opened up his search browser and shared his screen with Juniper. "Let's look at different places together and see what options you have. You do have to stay on the Imperial Star, so that does help narrow your options…"
Juniper nodded his head and opened a second screen, allowing him to search for gifts. He wanted to find a crystal Edros didn't have in his collection.
Akimitsu also opened up his terminal to look for places. "I don't think an amusement park is good for a first date, so we can scratch those out."
In the Zevaria Empire, going to amusement parks on the first date is not recommended because of the superstition that your relationship will be as thrilling and quick as a roller coaster.
Ellery, who already created a Yes, No, Maybe list, agreed with Akimitsu. He also thought an aquarium would be nice, especially with how large the one on the Imperial Star was.
"There's a large aquarium, but those are pretty crowded… Let's put it in the maybe category to see if you can rent out the whole aquarium for the day."
The zoo was also a maybe for the same reason as the aquarium. There were also a lot of museums to choose from, some more private than others.
Restaurants were easier to plan out because Juniper just needed to ask, and they would let him book out the whole restaurant without a second thought.
Thankfully, Edros was not too picky, and his favorite foods were similar to Juniper's, so it wasn't hard to pick a restaurant. Since they both liked noodle dishes, they decided on a restaurant that specialized in cold noodles for lunch. For dinner, he chose a place that had the best rice dishes. From rice bowls to steamed rice rolls, everything there was good. These places weren't too fancy, but they satisfied their appetite.
Plus, for Juniper, he would rather go to a cheap but delicious restaurant that they both liked rather than a place they wouldn't like, even if it was fancy.
"I got confirmation from both the aquarium and the zoo that they are willing to close their doors to the public so the two of you can have your private date," Akimitsu reported. "Which one do you want to go to?"
"I like the aquarium."
Ellery nodded. "Aquarium it is. Akimitsu, check the earliest date for Juniper."
"On it."
Juniper was waiting for the day so he could contact the restaurants.
Hopefully, the date goes well and Edros is happy and surprised!