Doe smiled to himself when Hywel rested his head on his shoulder, hoping the other tom didn't see. When it seemed like he might, his baby blue eyes looking down at him beseechingly, he wiped the smile from his face and glowered disinterestedly at the dust on the cathedral stone. "Why, Hywel?" he replied long-sufferingly, pushing himself up suddenly, dislodging Hywel unceremoniously, and padding along the ledge before sitting down away from him, back turned pointedly to the silver tom. Really, he had just moved to a spot where the golden sun was pooling on the stone, dust motes caught in the warm ray. Perfect for sunbathing. "Go be cute with your other boy-toys." His tail dangled over the edge of the ledge on the side of the bells, twitching back and forth happily. He grinned to himself again, still facing away from Hywel.

"I don't get jealous," Doefreckle replied prissily, slipping down forepaws-first to flop neatly on the sun-warmed stone. That had always been true before - the first time he'd really felt it, when he'd learned of Chim settling down with Pygmyprawn, had been a nasty shock and a sickening feeling he was in no hurry to feel again. The thought of Hywel growing tired of their dates and settling down with some other tom did bother him, very slightly, and made him feel internally uncomfortable enough that he had to rearrange his paws where he was lying, but it still wasn't full-blown jealousy. After all, Hywel would then have to be jealous of the toms back in SummerClan and it was Doe who had refused exclusivity. There just wasn't any point in or reason for jealousy - they were just a casual thing. So if Hywel was hoping for some confession of deeper feelings that meant Doe had changed his mind, he was going to be disappointed.

But because he'd already almost derailed the date earlier in the alcove, Doe instead opted for a white lie that might stroke Hywel's ego a bit and spare him any further hurt and huffed, "but so what if I were?" Hoping that Hywel would finally come over and cuddle him and put all this talking to rest so they could nap, Doefreckle stretched out, back quivering slightly with the effort of it, and then tilted his head back to look at Hywel. Not imploringly - just with feigned, bratty disinterest, like it was up to the other tom whether he came over or not. Because he wasn't going to beg. He wasn't going to show how desperate he was, because he wasn't.

He didn't consider the idea that he'd convinced himself so thoroughly that he didn't have any feelings for Hywel that he was growing blind to the actual feelings settling in around his heart. At this rate, he'd be denying he was in love with Hywel during their wedding vows.

Doe laughed at the sheer ridiculousness of the situation, all his brattiness melting away in that one soft sound. “Oh my God, Hywel, just come here,” he ordered the other tom exasperatedly, stretching out his good forepaw towards him from where he was still lying on his back, his head tilted back and the soft fur of his white belly exposed. He kneaded at the thin, warm air, reaching out at Hywel. “I’ll only be jealous if you start bringing other toms here, too. Now please just come and enjoy the sun with me. Okay? Don’t make me beg.”

Then, still lying in the same position, Doe suddenly snorted a little giggle and grinned upside down at the silver tom. “I keep forgetting you have a sister. Maybe she’d be less work than you.” He said, like he wasn’t the most high maintenance lover on the planet and incredibly aware - and proud - of that fact. But Doe’s joke was affectionately teasing, like Hywel’s endearing obliviousness was one of the many annoying quirks he lov-liked about him; there was no malice there.

Doe flopped the back of his head against the warm stone when Hywel obeyed, triumphantly following him with lazy, hooded eyes. He let out a brief purr when the other tom curled around him, looking down at where his chin was resting on his chest, their muzzles almost touching. The silver tom looked absolutely smitten with him - that hadn't been Doefreckle's intention, for Hywel to fall for him. He felt almost stifled by that look, panicked, like he should say his final farewells now and run back to SummerClan. But he didn't. For whatever reason, he didn't. He couldn't understand why not - every reasonable thought in his head was telling him to politely thank Hywel for his time like a good little gentleman and then, just as the other tom had feared, ghost him. But he didn't. That would keep him up that night, the confused, frustrated ache in his gut that felt vaguely like nausea and that would only make him more and more snappy as the days went by because he couldn't understand it. By the end of the week he'd be snapping at kits.

Trying to stubbornly push it and the awareness of his own heart pounding in his chest against Hywel's ear out of his mind - if you can't deal with it, ignore it, as he always said - Doe wriggled his way down until he was closer to the silver tom, Hywel's head now lying against his throat. For a moment he just watched him, looking so beautiful with his eyes closed. Then, snapping himself out of the thought and giving his head the tiniest shake of frustration, he nosed Hywel's muzzle up just enough to give him a quick little kiss. "Thank you again for the date," he told him softly, closing his eyes and brushing his muzzle against the other tom's so softly that it felt more like a feather tickling his fur. "It was beautiful."