Tonight's The Night || Jack

Fendrel's attentive gaze took in the gathered crowd with ease, briefly glancing over the faces in search for his partner. The beginning of a smile turned the corners of his mouth up in a smile as he thought of the displaced Captain. He'd never met anyone even remotely like Jack and he had been looking forward to spending this evening with him since they made the plans to attend the ball together. It had been a long, long time since he remembered feeling this way about something. Did he dare say he was excited? Yes... It couldn't be anything else.

There was something about him that made Fendrel feel free to exercise a little more freedom than usual. He was one of the few people that could make him feel like he didn't have to act any certain way - he could be his unfiltered self and not have to fear getting judged for it, and that was something he loved. Hell, he'd even fallen for the man. It was extremely hard to resist that charming smile. Just being in the same town as the other man got his thoughts running about meeting up with him all over again.

Needless to say, Fendrel had been all too eager to go along with him to the Yule Ball and spend the season with him. Considering it was usually his worst time of the year, Jack's addition into his life had made this one of his best holiday seasons in his whole life. It was the first time he remembered not feeling like he was an odd one out and he'd spent little time hiding out in his caravan as he usually did during this time of year. He'd probably spent most of it out and about or with Jack, and it was an extremely welcome change.

The ballroom of the castle was a gorgeous site in itself, decorated with the festive feel of the season and filled with many cheerful couples and individuals that were there to enjoy the evening of drinking and happiness, but Fen's gaze was still dedicated to finding Jack. He had no idea when the other man would show up or if he had made it before he had himself, so it would just be a matter of looking around a little. In the meantime, he picked up a drink, remembering the new technique of 'body shots' that Jack had taught him in one of their last meetings. That had been a fun experience and he, personally, was looking forward to doing it again. There was never a dull moment when that man was around, Fendrel would swear to it. It made him all the more eager to see what the night would bring once he found him in many that were gathered here for the evening. Whatever it would bring, he had no doubts that it would be great.

Fen continued to weave in and out of the couples already dancing in the ballroom, occasionally giving a polite nod or bow to the ladies even though his interest was already fully taken and he hardly paid any attention to them. He had one thought on his mind, and that thought was Jack. The captain was bound to be here by now, and Fen was determined to find him. If he was honest for himself, his want to find the other man was increasing the longer he milled about through the crowd of people he didn't know. For all he cared, none of them were there. The only thing he had to do was find Jack, and everything else wouldn't matter at all. Forget all the memories of the past and his unstable mentality that had him questioning why he was still working assassinations and just enjoy the company of the one he'd come to love more than he ever remembered loving anyone or anything before. That was the real purpose of the night, and Fen had every intention of remembering it and embracing it.

After searching for a few more long moments, Fendrel finally spotted the captain quietly moving through the crowd, presumably looking for him just like Fen was looking for him. The assassin grinned, silently slipping past a dancing couple and slinking up behind the captain. "Now there's a sight for sore eyes," he said just loud enough for Jack to hear him, a smirk already playing with his lips as he stepped around the other man to stand beside him instead of behind him. "For a moment, I was worried I wouldn't find you. With all of the kingdom here, this is probably one of the biggest crowds I've been in."

Truthfully, Fen would've taken all night to search for him if it was necessary. There was no way he would've let himself get away with not finding Jack, and, now that he had, he had to hide a shy, full-blown smile behind a drink from the glass he'd picked up. For the simple sake of everyone around them, he was attempting at some small constraints, because the simple truth was that he was overjoyed to see the captain again. He blamed it on the rush. He'd never felt like this before, and that made it both extremely confusing in some senses and extremely difficult to control. There was an extreme few people in this world that could make him feel even remotely like this, and the simple fact that he felt like he did now had been enough to make him realize how much Jack meant to him.

He had grown up never putting any meaning to the word 'love,' although he had tried to still believe in it. That concept had never been more clear to him. Meeting Jack and getting to know him had finally taught him the meaning of that word. He'd come to know it as when he'd drop everything and when he'd do anything. It was the feeling he was feeling right then and there when he found Jack in that crowd of other people. Just seeing him made Fendrel smile. It wasn't hard to know that this was something he would work to keep. Forget what anyone would tell him about it; it wouldn't bother him if someone happened to disprove of it. With all of it running through his mind, he had difficulty restraining himself. There was probably about a zillion things he could say at that moment, but he didn't want to overwhelm Jack. This was his first time at such a game, and the last thing he wanted to do was blow his chance.

So, to compromise for his racing thoughts and reflections, he simply said, "To be honest with you, I was really looking forward to tonight." There was absolutely no hiding his smile now and he looked away shyly. He didn't know how far was too far at this point. There was one thing he was really fighting because he didn't want to catch the man too off-guard but... With a small shake of his head that was his deciding to disregard such a thought, he took one step closer to the captain and just kissed him.

So what if he didn't know how far was too far? The only way he'd find out was trying. I've really been waiting way too long to do that..., he thought as he pulled back, not allowing himself to look away shyly again. He wanted to be fully honest with Jack about how he felt, and there didn't seem like there would be a better night to tell him than tonight.