Mano-a-Manwhore [Vanyel, Isamu]

Vanyel groaned as he pressed down on the blender, his thoughts disrupted by the loud sounds as the ingredients blended together. Isamu was a few minutes away, and he almost regretted asking him what kind of milkshake he wanted: cookie dough with chocolate ice cream and caramel. He had made sure that Violet wasn't here for this little meeting, especially since he was pretty sure he'd die of embarrassment if she found out about this.

Finishing the shake, he poured it into a chilled glass, and set them both on the table, across from his mango-flavored one. He didn't like that he was having to do this, but, he didn't know who else to go to for this. If nothing else, he knew he could trust his old friend, especially with a question and situation like this, something that he ultimately helped bring together.

He wouldn't admit it openly, but to some degree, Isamu was happy Vanyel still viewed him as a friend. They reunited under such an awkward circumstance, sure, but they were keeping in contact again. That was nice. Now, he was calling him over for something. A favor? Advice? He didn't know yet. He got a text to come over, with the added offer of a homemade milkshake. Arriving from his hotel to Vanyel's house, he knocked on his door, head tilted in curiosity. What did he want to talk about on such short notice? Well, he guessed he'd find out, now, wouldn't he?

It didn't take him long to answer the knocking. He didn't say anything as he gestured for Isamu to come in, showing him the milkshake that he made for him. He did, however, pace back and forth for a minute or so before finally sitting down, putting his head in his hands as he let out a sigh.

"Okay, no makin' fun of me for what I'm about to say," Vanyel said, lifting his head to look Isamu in the eye.

If there was nothing else that could be gleaned from that stare, it was that he was serious. Well, outside of the anxiousness and awkwardness that was more than evident to someone who had known him for years. He looked to the side, taking a drink of his milkshake, grumbling to himself, before turning back to face him.

"...How do I tell my girlfriend I want to fuck her without sounding like a desperate teenage horndog?"

"...Huh?"

At that moment, Isamu felt a wave of whiplash hit him all at once. He expected many things. Catching up on lost times. A trip down memory lane. Potentially sparring together. Any number of things seemed and or felt like reasonable things to talk about, but of all the things he expected to hear was - and he knew he wasn't high when this reached his ears and finally set in - asking for advice on how to blow his girlfriend's back out was not on his bingo card this year. For one moment, raising his eyebrow as though he was auditioning for a role to impersonate The Rock, Isamu did a double take.

"When in the blue hell did you develop a desire to fuck?"

He should have expected that reaction. Vanyel groaned quietly as he put his head in his hands, taking another drink of his milkshake. On one hand, he wanted to punch him in the face, but, he also couldn't really blame him, given how he was in the past. He never had been the most inclined toward romance or sex, and to suddenly spring this on him now probably was...jarring, to say the least.

"Fuck off..." He said with a sigh, before taking another drink. "That aside, I just...don't know how to broach the whole thing. You know what she's been through, and I don't want to make her...upset or anything. Or worse, end up sounding like the...fucking bàilèi that did it to her."

"Don't you tell me to fuck off. With how many times you turned down women tryin' to make moves on ya in the past, I almost half-expected you to be... what do they call those again... asexuals? Yeah, those."

It was definitely jarring, to say the least. But it wasn't entirely unfounded, he supposed. With how happy he sounded to call Violet his girlfriend in the texts they shared, and how much of a bombshell frame she had in general, he supposed arousal was going to play a factor sooner or later. He guessed sooner applied here. Chucking softly, allowing the information to sink in, he took a sip of milkshake and spit it to him straight.

"From the sounds of it, I think yer overcomplicating things. This might sound crazy to you, but the only approach I'd choose here is to shoot it to her straight. What's desperate about asking the woman you love that you want to have sex with her?"

Vanyel could only roll his eyes at the comment about being asexual. Nevertheless, Vanyel took another drink as he listened to Isamu, his gaze turning to the table. Just being forward about it would be easier, but, he didn't think it was that easy. He rolled the straw along his teeth, his leg idly bouncing as he thought for a moment.

"She might not feel like she's ready for it," He mumbled. "I don't want it to feel like I'm forcin' her or anythin'. I don't know how long ago it was, but, maybe it's too soon for her to start thinkin' about sex. I just...I don't want to risk hurting her."

"Listen, Vanyel. You're a good man at heart. I get it. What happened to Violet is somethin' no woman should ever go through."

Isamu sighed softly as he nodded his head. He understood where he was coming from. It was a difficult line to cross. The potential risk of damaging a good relationship was a justified thing to worry about, but Isamu wanted to approach it from a different point of view, one he hoped Vanyel would understand. Drinking the cold milkshake, he'd shoot it to him straight.

"I can't pretend it's something that should be ignored, but for one minute, let's approach this from a different point of view. As far as I know, that girl loves you and you love her. Don't you think she'd want to erase that experience with the man she loves?"

He was glad that Isamu at least understood his perspective. Seeing her on the road to recovery was already something he was overjoyed about, and the last thing he wanted to do, especially now that they were a couple, was cause that progress to regress. It was made worse for him with the fact that he had prior experience with the topic -- albeit in a far more extreme manner.

However, just as he was finishing a sip of his drink and was about to speak, Isamu started talking, and as he mentioned approaching it from a different point of view, Vanyel promptly shut up. He looked nervous, but he gave a light nod to show his acknowledgement and understanding. That shift in perspective, however, caused him to look down at the table, quietly taking another sip from his shake.

He knew that he loved Violet, and that she loved him. Even if there were some things about others that he couldn't always pinpoint exactly, what he heard and saw from her on their date night, her offering for them to sleep together, and the affection they always smothered the other in, all of that couldn't be fabricated.

"I..." He started, his voice low, but paused. "That's...That's a fair point."

He sighed, idly playing with the straw in his milkshake while his leg unknowingly bounced and shook. He looked at the glass, before back at Isamu.

"Okay, so...that just brings me back to the first part," He said. "Is there...any specific way I should go about it? Something that's...respectful of what she went through, but still showing...wanting, I guess? I thought of sending her a text and sayin' that I had a surprise for her tonight, but, I dunno."

"Good. So we've most past the hard part. Now we can talk about the approach..."

Isamu smiled warmly as he toyed with his straw. For one moment, he wondered what it might be like to pursue the type of love Violet and Vanyel shared, but that thought was quickly discarded as soon as it entered his mind. After all, as far as he was concerned, he was scum. He didn't want to turn a good woman bad with his habits. But that was neither here nor there, he was helping a friend out. Stroking his chin softly, he'd simply shrug his shoulders.

"That wouldn't be a bad approach, I reckon. I don't think you could go wrong with that, but I think the element of surprise would be nice, too, ya know? Make her feel comfortable. Wrap your arms around her. Make her feel good. Make her feel safe, and then ask her if she wants to take that next step."

Isamu would finish the rest of his milkshake, using a spoon to scoop up and chew on the cookie crumbs that remained at the bottom. This was pretty tasty stuff. He'd probably hit him up for a recipe or two. He wasn't a culinary master or anything, but he was pretty serviceable in the kitchen. Any tool to worm his way into a woman's heart was a good one, right? Anyway...

"Sex is just as much about mood as it is comfort, you know? Sure, I' might be somethin' of a shameless manwhore, but there ain't one situation I ever approached where I made a woman feel uncomfortable. Make your woman happy, and she'll make you happy. Turn her on and she'll turn you on. Once you can hit that comfort level, the rest should be smooth sailing. "