Star Pox (10) : Genetically modified fruits aren’t exactly new but every now and then something seems to be going on with them. This year, it’s star fruit. The entire batch from Destiny City’s largest supplier has a strange side effect; a few minutes after eating one, star-shaped ‘freckles’ will begin to cover the skin. While this has been colloquially dubbed’ star pox’, it appears to be a harmless allergic reaction. The freckles fade after a few hours and pose no actual health risks; they’ve become quite popular across social media. This might be your only chance to experience the strange trend! …Unless sales are good enough to bring them back.
“I was unaware that you spent any time working on it.”
Rakovanite’s dark gaze scraped appraisingly across the grassy courtyard before him, smattered in leafy bushes and small trees, dotted with little flecks of pink and purple petals where they’d fallen from above. It was hardly extravagant by anyone’s definition of the word, and in fact, the most interesting aspect of the area was the deep black backdrop, littered in floating isles not so dissimilar to this one.
They were in Narcissus’ mirror realm.
Rakovanite had been here a handful of times before, and on all such previous ventures, Narcissus had said that he simply did not have the time to care for what amounted to an interdimensional garden. …But there was always something wistful in the words. Rakovanite could sense how his lover would’ve at least enjoyed the opportunity to create something. His own world. Just for him. Unique. Special. Like Narcissus was.
Though the General’s initial observation was a bit curt, for the next his tone was softer, voice gentle as he settled a hand on the small of Narcissus’ back and leaned in to kiss his cheek, lips brushing skin with the words, “It is lovely.”
And Rakovanite should consider it a privilege that the space would be shared with him, however fleetingly. The personal grievances he had against most senshi and their private worlds did not apply in equal measure to Narcissus. Of course he could not completely stamp down every trace of petulant jealousy (why were some people so much more special and treasured than others…?) inside his heart, it definitely evaporated more in Narcissus’ presence than any other’s.
They could take the time to be happy here. Just the two of them.
This time, they’d even brought dinner, that Narcissus carried in a basket hooked in the bend of his elbow. With an inviting hand, Rakovanite gestured for Narcissus to lead them to their dining accommodations for the evening.
Posted: Sun Jun 30, 2024 7:33 pm
Basyl’s fingers fretted with the sheer fabric dangling from his fuku. His nails scraped along the wooden handle of their picnic basket, pulling out little splinters of wood as he glanced from Rakovanite to the little grassy area of his realm and then back.
“W-well, it’s… I don’t often, I suppose, but it’s here and waiting, and it- it would be a waste, I think, if I n-never did anything at all with it…” Not that anything bad would happen if he did 'waste' this opportunity- like, he shouldn't feel compelled to spend time in Mirrorscape, to make his island pretty. It could be a lovely, peaceful place for Narcissus, but it wasn't like he would show it off, and there were only very few people he would invite... One of those people was not enamored by seeing things that made Senshi stand out.
Narcissus didn't blame him for that! He knew Rakovanite's bitterness stemmed from the fact that he was hurt. That it was easy for him to feel worthless and useless and replaceable, and there were physical reminders of that. Narcissus couldn't say that he had many similar feelings personally ('worthless' was not his inadequacy of choice), but he sympathized. Nataniel’s sentiments just made it morbidly hilarious that he was the first (only) person to have ever seen Narcissus’ mirror realm.
It was hardly a perfect place, he knew! There must be Mirror Senshi who spent hours and hours perfecting their little world, building it up and decorating it and filling it with all the things they loved… Like a Sim house.
Narcissus hadn’t managed all that. His personal court was quite bland, in part because he wasn’t much of a designer, but probably also because his collection of crystals was on the meager side. Powering up very often was draining; he just didn’t have the energy reserves to do it incredibly frequently… But he did it enough that he thought this was a suitable quiet and undisturbed picnic area. A small grassy patch surrounded by bushes flowering in the pinks and purples and blues matching his Senshi aesthetic. He’d brought little string lights from home; they weren’t distractingly bright, but were pretty enough. Probably the strongest-selling feature of the area was no bugs!
It wasn’t perfect or beautiful or ethereal or striking, but it was good enough for their purposes.
He leaned precariously sideways, so that his shoulder was just grazing Rakovanite's as the other man gravitated toward him. “It’s just… how often can someone come across a space like this? That is so personal. That no one else can enter…”
He didn't need an escape, but since one was available...
Why wouldn’t he make some us of it?
“Come on, let’s have a seat!” He gestured to what he thought was the best grassy patch, with bushes set to either side of them, though as Narcissus flapped their blanket out and settled down atop it, a strange sense of dysphoria washed over him- Everything was so still, so quiet… Mirrorscape wasn’t really alive, not like most Senshi worlds…
But that wasn’t. Important. Right now.
He cleared his throat and dug through their picnic basket for all the tupperwares he’d packed. Salads and summer rolls, snacks of nuts and humus and pita chips, quick wraps and noodle bowls, and little cups with fruit cut into cute shapes. As he peered down into the cup, he thought that he maybe couldn’t completely identify all the fruits…? But ah, that was surely nothing!
“Once in a lifetime,” Rakovanite answered softly. He wouldn’t begrudge Basyl’s enjoyment.
Narcissus guided him to sit, so Rakovanite did, letting his focus rove slowly over his surroundings and then back to his partner. There weren’t many things to observe here; Narcissus’s few plants were colorful accessories to an otherwise dim atmosphere. Mirrorspace’s castle was visible, but it was not more interesting now than any other time Rakovanite had seen it. The knowledge that he could never bring Narcissus to 'his world' lurked in the back of his mind (because nothing in Negaspace was actually his), but the other man would probably not appreciate the experience, anyway, so the thought never found its voice. They were here now; that was what mattered.
As Narcissus shuffled a few containers out of the basket (strung with fuschia and emerald star charms, courtesy of Narcissus) and into his hands, Rakovanite couldn’t help but take a peek at what had been set before him, and as always, found himself besotted by his lover’s thoughtfulness. It shouldn’t come as a surprise; Basyl always went out of his way to make sure something was appetizing to Nataniel, despite his eating restrictions. And since they’d started living together, Basyl’s repertoire of suitable recipes had only grown and grown. They only picinicked once or maybe twice a year, so he might have expected a menu similar to the last time they went, but this all seemed mostly new and fresh and seasonal, besides a few easy staples (like the honey mustard mixed nuts that Rakovanite was obligated to sample as soon as they were in his line of sight).
“Did you make all this?” He asked, tone quietly incredulous. Nataniel would’ve seen Basyl preparing this many containers of food, right? Sure not all of it required cooking, so it was theoretically on the ‘easier’ end of the meal preparation spectrum, but he should’ve seen vegetable peel shavings or smelled that ‘green grass’ sort of scent, but Rakovanite didn’t remember anything like that in their home…
While snapping off the lids to the various containers and setting the small myriad of dishes out to be easily accessible to both of them, Rakovanite couldn’t help but pop a quick bite into his mouth every now and then. An edamame here, a loose zucchini slice there, a carrot cube, a carambola slice…
Posted: Sun Jun 30, 2024 7:48 pm
Rakovanite’s tone at seeing today’s selection immediately bolstered Narcissus’ pride. He sat a bit straighter, chest puffed out just a little, because yes, of course he’d put some thought and effort into this! Maybe picnics were supposed to be on the easier side of things- yes, yes, simple foods that traveled well, and were easy to make and share, and relatively cheap in case of waste, but they didn’t do this often, and Narcissus didn’t want to miss an opportunity to show off some of the depth of his emotion for his partner… So, simple, easy? Pass. He could do better, do more than that.
"W-well, no, of course not 'all!' I picked up the summer rolls and fruit bowls from that little marketplace near the cafe I used to work at. I’d always wanted to try a few of the pre-prepared things from there, but… a quick, greasy cheeseburger always called a little louder…" Something he knew Rakovanite didn’t sympathize with on multiple levels.
Their plastic picnic bowls and unusually small cutlery came out of the basket, and Narcissus dusted his hands for a task well-completed, before setting to serving out a few portions. “But everything else, yes!”
He glanced up to Rakovanite, smile on his face-
And nearly dropped the container of edamame soba he was holding as a sharp gasp lurched its way past his lips.
“Nat-” He squeaked, scrambling on his knees to draw closer to the other man. “Your cheeks! They’re-” Wellll… he didn’t know what they were doing, actually. Rakovanite’s dark skin was becoming speckled with paler little blobs: teeny-tiny, like freckles, and shaped like stars… As if a little galaxy was blooming on his face. It wasn’t- Well, Narcissus wouldn’t say this out loud, but it didn’t actually look terrible. The shape and span of the little blemishes almost made it look cute… And Rakovanite’s perplexed expression at Narcissus’ outburst wasn’t helping. “Um- Oh, I…” He helplessly grasped at one of Rakovanite’s hands, plucking at the fingers on his glove until he could slide it off, and… yes, as he’d suspected: the blemishes were there too.
He couldn’t help but startle at the high, frantic pitch in Narcissus’ voice, casting a quick glance behind him in case there was something, somewhere, trying to get them- there was literally always something- must be vigilant. …But there wasn’t anything that Rakovanite could see. He looked back to Narcissus, head canted inquisitively as the Senshi scootched in close and took up his hand like he would if Rakovanite was dying.
“Basyl, what…?” They were usually on the same wavelength enough that even if Narcissus couldn’t entirely articulate his exact thoughts, Rakovanite could fill in the blanks without major difficulty. Narcissus frequently had a lot to say, and it was often littered with stutters and ‘ums.’
Rakovanite didn’t mind. Usually. But this time…
His glove was slid from his hand, and- Ah. The culprit of Narcissus’ frantic tone: pale speckles had appeared on his skin. His first thought was sun poisoning. He’d been afflicted before. It looked similar-ish. But then Rakovanite’s eyes focused a bit more and he saw that actually, no. It didn’t look similar at all, and he was covered in… tiny star-freckles.
He stared at them, then slanted his gaze toward the snacks he’d only just consumed. "Oh. So you have poisoned me,” he whispered, injecting as much false hurt into his tone as he could manage.
“My sweet love… How could you?”
Posted: Sun Jun 30, 2024 7:58 pm
Dismay etched itself into every little crease of Narcissus’ brow, fingers curled tightly against Rakovanite’s to offer whatever shred of comfort he could in this desperately trying time… And for but a flicker of an instant, Narcissus believed him, believed that he was witnessing in real-time the damage he’d wrought in his partner’s body. How could he- How could he? Nataniel trusted him, and Narcissus rewarded that trust by giving him something that had- had altered…?
Narcissus pulled his gaze from Rakovanite’s hand up to his face, apology bubbling on the tip of his tongue. But he didn’t see any genuine hurt or offense or concern on the General’s typically stoic face- and yes, some people might find it difficult to tell, and of course there were times Basyl could hardly recognize any emotion there-
But there was a slight tilt to his lips, a quiet tease.
It made so much of the Senshi’s doubt flutter away. He should probably still be worried- He didn’t know what this was or how long it would last or what other effects there might be, but at least for this moment, this little star-freckles were only cosmetic. As far as either of them could tell.
“P-Poisoned, Nataniel? That seems excessive…”
Narcissus set to closer inspection, anyway, carefully using one finger, then two, then his whole hand to glide from just beneath Rakovanite’s collar, up the side of his neck and to his cheek. They were everywhere, every bit of skin Narcissus could see. But they didn’t feel like anything? That must be good… “Does it hurt? Does it itch?” He asked, gently guiding Rakovanite to turn his head so Narcissus might see a little more in the dim light. “Hm… Can you tell they’re there at all? I m-mean, besides that you can see them, of course?”
He really didn’t feel anything, and while some holiday shenanigans were certainly malevolent, it seemed like most probably weren’t. Rakovanite gave an experimental scrape of his fingernail over a little star-shaped blotch on the back of his hand. It didn’t hurt, it didn’t itch, it wasn’t raised. It seemed to be just a (hopefully temporary) patterned discoloration. He gave the slightest notch of his head as a ‘no’ in answer to Narcissus’ questions.
And because the answer was, in fact, a ‘no,’ this blotches did not distress him to any significant degree. It probably should, since they didn’t have much information on what it was, but the condition would dissipate. He was sure, and what was the use in dwelling on it?
It was more enjoyable to nuzzle his cheek into the warmth of Narcissus’ gloved palm, close his eyes, and hum in the sweetly floral scent of his Mirror realm. “Will you still love me if I am star-spangled for the rest of my life?”
Posted: Sun Jun 30, 2024 8:05 pm
“Oh, Nataniel…” Narcissus’ voice was soft with the words, pushed from his lungs on a delicate breath.
He’d always thought he had an exceptional, or at least above-average, amount of love to give, and it quite often fastened itself to the people around him completely independent of Basyl’s will. It wouldn’t have occurred to him in any of his wildest fantasies that he would be with someone like Nataniel. His previous partners were various shades of goofy and personable and gentle and kindhearted. If Basyl was asked to pinpoint a reason for why it had ‘never worked out’ with any of them, he wouldn’t really have much of an answer.
-It was him, probably. He was more dedicated to school or work than he was to another person. Even if that was the case, none of his relationships had ever ended any way but amicably (maybe he was just boring…?). And he was fine with that being the way things were.
Nataniel was definitely not ‘goofy,’ and his personableness, gentleness, and kindheartedness had what Basyl would consider extreme restrictions. …He hurt people. They both knew it. And there weren’t any words Basyl knew to explain why his heart just sort of… accepted that, when he felt sure that he would’ve refused to ten years ago. He would defend that Nataniel was a ‘good person’ until his dying breath, and that that was enough of a reason for Basyl to allow his heart to attach wherever it wanted.
And it had decided this man. This man with egregious faults, nuzzling his palm and peering up over the rim of his glasses at Narcissus’ face.
No one was perfect. They didn’t need to agree on everything. They certainly didn’t have the same sense of morality. It was only ever fleeting moments where Narcissus wondered if that mattered. This wasn’t one of them.
Narcissus smoothed his fingers over Rakovanite’s cheek, thumb brushing against his lips as he leaned in.
“No matter what you look like or what you do, I will always love you.”
