|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2017 9:14 pm
He sat on a bench on the DCU campus and waited.
It had been a long time, but Archer had not forgotten Lorne's schedule, nor had he forgotten about Lorne in general. Certainly, things had gotten a bit carried away once he had youmafied; he had not had time to go visit the other man, and he had focused on his career in the Negaverse.
Archer Wren had just...disappeared into the void.
But he was back, now. Or at least, pretending to be. Archer crossed a leg over the other, the books in his lap a guise at best, a mockery of all the pointless studying that was going on all around him. He wasn't reading the words on the pages; he'd read them all before, and now they were just a front.
Eventually, Lorne would come out. And then they would talk.
Amongst other things. Archer glanced at his watch, then leaned back and relaxed.
And waited.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Feb 08, 2017 12:05 am
So much had happened, to be honest, Lorne had almost entirely forgotten that Archer was even a factor. He hadn't seen him in so long, after all. And things for him had been peaceful for a good, long time, consumed by friends and studies and self-defense classes and a lot of love. No, he had not forgotten Mont Blonc, and had not forgotten his duty. He just - he needed to be better. He needed to be grounded and stable and capable of defending himself or he would just be a liability to everyone he cared about. He'd done that enough already, gotten enough people hurt and nearly killed, including himself.
So he was taking some time, and honestly, he felt like he was doing the right thing. It was good not to feel guilty for a change. Not that he was turning his back anyone in need. If there was someone in danger, of course he'd try and help. But Lorne would not seek it out again until he was ready, and that felt okay, and everyone who mattered said that was fine.
Yes. It was fine, and Lorne was happy.
Which was why it was that much more jarring to walk out of class, a book still dangling from one hand as he made his way out of the building, and saw him. It was just out of the corner of his eye at first, then a tilt of his head, yellow eyes widening until the irises showed on all sides. Then just as quickly he turned his head and began to walk quickly ahead, his grip knuckle-white on his book now, his breath like ice in his chest.
Don't look at me don't look at me don't -
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Feb 08, 2017 8:27 am
As Wolfeite, his senses were heightened, capable of picking out things that his normal civilian self could not have. But even as Archer, he was attuned to Lorne; to his personality, to the way he moved, to the face that he knew so well, had known for years.
Lorne trying to run away from him was also a mockery.
Archer stood, the movement slow and lithe, not running, not rushing. He slid the books back into his messenger bag and slung it over his shoulder, hands in the pockets of black jeans as he shifted through the crowd of students milling about, keeping an eye on that familiar dark head of hair.
When he was close enough, he reached out, fingers curling around Lorne's wrist in a friendly gesture.
"Lorne," said Archer lightly. "It's been a while."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Feb 08, 2017 6:25 pm
Grabbed.
He should have known it wouldn't be that easy.
Trapped.
It was not a tight grip. Lorne had been taking classes. He tried to focus on that over the surge of panic as he took a step further before turning back to face him. (More or less. Even now his gaze was downcast.) They were in public, out of the open.
He made a move to rotate his wrist, trying to twist it quickly out of the other man's grip. "Archer." Why did his voice always have to quiver like that? He had no reason to be afraid. There was no reason to be afraid anymore. Right?
With a deep breath and an attempt at a half-smile, he offered back in a more level tone, "It has been awhile. T-too bad I'm in a bit of a hurry."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Feb 08, 2017 9:27 pm
Lorne's wrist; the bone, the slide of his skin, the slight tremble - it was all so very familiar to Archer, who felt a smile dawning irrepressibly on his face, slow and calculating. He'd picked a public area on purpose; he knew Lorne would not try and do anything while others were watching, it was too nervewracking.
His grasp did not lessen even as Lorne tried to pull away. His ex had always been as anxious as a cat; it didn't faze Archer even as he tugged Lorne closer, his expression almost gentle, almost sweet, almost caring.
Almost.
"Oh, come on." The tone was cajoling, persuasive. Archer leaned in, letting their shoulders brush together, voice borderline plaintive. "I haven't seen you in months and you don't want to even say hi to me? Here - "
He tugged Lorne towards a nearby path that would lead to the DCU gardens.
"Let's take a walk and catch up."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Feb 08, 2017 11:02 pm
It felt wrong. Having Archer's hands on him felt wrong, especially wrong now. His smile did not reassure Lorne; it did the opposite, twisting his stomach into knots and making him feel sick and claustrophobic. His space was being invaded, and that brush of their shoulders made him tense and tug harder at his captured wrist, and he knew there were better ways to do it but at least he was still trying.
"Hi."
He offered that much in a voice that at least did not tremble, even if his hands did. Lorne reached into his pocket with his free hand and wound his fingers around his phone, clutching it tight. If all else failed, he would use it. He was not afraid to. "If we have to talk, I-I'd rather do it in a cafe o-or something." He'd rather not talk at all, and every ounce of his body language was saying it. Why wasn't anyone noticing? - not that he should always expect help from outsiders, he supposed. This was something he should be capable of handling by now.
"I-I'm still seeing Nadia. Just so we... please - I-I'd just like you to understand that."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Feb 09, 2017 10:38 am
His long fingers - so unlike the claws he was used to these days - slid down the inside of Lorne's wrist, feeling the pulse jump rapidly, like a rabbit afraid of a wolf. Archer gave a small, soft laugh, because as much as Lorne tried to keep himself away, he would never be truly away. They were connected, as they always were.
"Don't worry," said Archer airily, and his fingers threaded through Lorne's now, palm to palm as he tugged him down the gardens. "There are plenty of people around in the gardens. All those couples who look for a place to make out go to the gardens."
He flashed a look over his shoulder at Lorne, eyes crinkling up into a smile that did not quite reach them.
"We'll be fine."
His grasp tightened ever so slightly at the mention of Nadia. Of course. Of course you would still try to put her before me. But she won't be around for much longer, because she will never be to you what you want her to be.
And soon you'll remember.
"I understand that," said Archer simply. "Now, come on, Lorne, let's go."
The gardens were a wide expanse of shrubbery and flowers that made up a large part of the DCU campus. Benches lined several of the winding pathways, while other places were more secluded, high hedgerows and blossoming trees keeping things pretty and private, although the trees were bare now. Archer pulled Lorne over to one of the inner places, finally slowing and turning, his expression quite calm.
"Now. Tell me how you've been."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Mar 02, 2017 9:03 pm
In spite of what he'd just thought, he really wished someone would notice. Lorne was throwing all kinds of distressed glances out towards other students as he passed, every inch of him radiating discomfort, but most people didn't bother to look away from their friends and their phones. It was unsettling, somehow, on a very deep level to realize just how little people either noticed or cared... but then, by all accounts he should be capable. He was over six feet, and it wasn't as though he was made of nothing at all. More than that, he was a man, and he supposed that alone was a factor.
Even then, he told himself to calm down. He really did need to stay calm. That was half the battle here. Archer was not his boyfriend, and he did not have the sway over him he had back then. This was something he'd need to face sooner or later. It wasn't as though Nadia or Colin or even Auguste would always be there.
(As much as he desperately wished for all three of them just then.)
He inhaled deeply, and being calmed was much easier said than done when Archer's touch alone made him feel claustrophobic at best, but he knew he had to try. His phone was there just in case, and really, what was Archer going to do? There wasn't much he could do, was there? Even here in this garden place, they weren't alone.
That smile that wasn't made him shudder, goosebumps of discomfort rising along his skin. But he'd found it charming once, hadn't he? How? - had he really been that lonely? "Don't - don't get any ideas from them, " and he pushed that thought out before his lips could cement themselves shut, "The other people. We're not. I do not want to." That much was even done without stuttering. Would Colin had been proud?
With his hand still in Archer's grasp, displeasure creeping up his spine like a centipede, Lorne took another long, deep breath. "Well enough." He almost gave details, but then stopped himself. Too quick to offer himself up, that was true, even to someone he wanted to offer nothing to. Why was he like that? "And you? I've not seen you in some time."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Mar 06, 2017 9:56 pm
He was ignoring most of Lorne's desperate attempts at weasling out of this, as he always did. Archer was good at that, because Lorne was always making things more difficult than they needed to be; an unnecessary hassle that Archer chose to bypass for whatever reason.
The gardens were pleasantly cool, high hedgerows and flowering vines that were just beginning to bloom. Archer gave a short laugh, flicking a gaze behind him.
"What ideas are you implying?" he asked airily, even though he knew the answer perfectly well. "Please. You act as though I'm some sort of monster, when we both know that isn't the case. Don't fret, Lorne, you'll get worry lines. Everything will be just fine, I just want to talk."
And to remind. Archer's hand slid down to Lorne's fingers, an almost gentle grasp as he laced them together casually; a motion he'd done may times before, the gesture familiar.
"I'm...extremely well," he said, which was entirely true. He had never been better, as a matter of fact. "I've been promoted at my work, and I've made something of a career of myself. You say you're well - how well is 'well' exactly? Your face is rather pale."
He lifted a hand, Archer's fingers just barely skimming Lorne's cheek.
"You're not getting sick, are you?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Mar 13, 2017 5:14 am
Not a monster... that much was true, Lorne reminded himself, and somehow the thought was reassuring. He had seen monsters. He had faced them down, and no, he hadn't always beaten them, but he'd survived. Archer was not a good person, at least not a good person for him, but that did not mean he was a monster. He hadn't really expected to find solace in anything the other man had to say, but in that moment, there it was.
It still didn't stop his skin from crawling at the way Archer touched him, lacing their fingers together as though they were meant to fit in such a way. But they weren't. His fingers fit so much more comfortably when it was Nadia. Colin. Auguste. Anyone but him.
"That's good to hear, " and that was not untrue; Lorne didn't want to be with Archer, no. He didn't like him, he didn't want to be involved with him. But he didn't wish him ill, either. It just wasn't in his nature. "You are a very talented man. It's good that someone recognizes that."
None of that stopped him from flinching away from Archer's hand, grimacing slightly. "I-if you don't mind, please don't." Talking did not need involve touching. "I'm fine. School is going well. Things with Nadia are wonderful, and Colin, too - " and he realized abruptly he'd let something new slip without meaning to. His cheeks burned abruptly and he cleared his throat. He'd not said anything too specific, at least. "I've a great relationship and wonderful friends. I can't ask for more."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2017 10:53 pm
Archer Wren was not the monster here. Archer Wren was just another student at the school, working on his studies, just like every other person on campus was. He was a quiet, respectable young man with a talent for remembering things, a photographer for the yearbook in high school, a promising young thing with a bright future ahead of him."
Archer Wren was not the monster. General Wolfeite hungered to be the monster, clawed its way through him until it was nothing but Chaos.
"Thank you," said Archer now, head tilted ever so slightly so that his dark hair fell across his forehead. it was much tamer, neatly swept back in a deliberately casual, rakish sort of way. Every inch of his appearance suggested nothing less than the average, everyday student.
"I'm talented in a lot of ways, yes," Archer said lightly, and obediently he dropped his hand from Lorne's face, though he did not let go of the other. "I'm glad that school is going well for you; you're a very smart man, Lorne, I'm sure you know that."
Things with Nadia are wonderful.
And Colin too.
Something in Archer shivered, twisted hard, ice in his stomach. Instinctively his fingers - not the ones holding Lorne's hand - twisted, curled into his palm, a very slight gesture as Archer tilted his head to regard the other.
"What's this now?" he asked, and the tone was still mild. Casual. Conversational. "I never pegged you as a cheater."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
