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 Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2025 4:56 am
Backdated to April 12th, right after [STORMBREAKER] At World’s End Laon hadn’t said much, which ordinarily wouldn’t have been concerning if not for the way he was also exuding a palpable anxiety. When they’d first gotten out, he’d clung to Arawn and was blinking his eyes excessively. When he tried to walk, he kept tripping over himself. He’d apologized excessively after he’d woken up, but only once when he first tripped. He’d blamed his shoes again, but Remarque noted that after that, each stumble hadn’t been accompanied by a profuse string of apologies.
Usually, Laon was so generous with them.
Like he felt guilty for just existing and needed to make amends for it. He must have spent so much time thinking of all the ways he might be an inconvenience. Remarque thought it sounded exhausting.
Arawn had picked Laon up again before they got too far, and he’d fallen quiet after that. Instead, Laon was making a conscious effort to take even, paced, scheduled breaths.
So, Remarque wasn’t worried that he’d died.
“We should get him to a hospital,” he said, ushering Arawn towards a mirror he had hidden not so far away.
“No,” Laon protested quickly. “I’m okay.”
He wasn’t, but Remarque let him lie.
“I just got dizzy,” Laon said, predictably.
“Okay. How many fingers am I holding up?” Remarque asked. He hadn’t turned around, much less made an effort to hold up any fingers at all.
Laon was quiet for a moment and guessed, “Two?”
Remarque gave Arawn a look and held out a hand so he could walk them into Mirrorspace together. He wasn’t going to have him put Laon down but he’d have to wrap an arm around the both of them so they could travel together. Remarque gave him a moment to brace himself for the contact and then stepped into Mirrorspace.
Visiting here was two birds with one stone; they could have a bit of privacy, and Remarque could check on the state of things, even if only briefly.
Unsurprisingly, but disappointingly, the mirror with the ballista was gone. Maybe if he focused a bit more he might have been able to summon it, but he wanted to make sure Laon was taken care of first.
“Arawn, are you hurt anywhere?” Remarque asked. “Don’t lie to me, I need to figure out what our next steps are.”
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Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2025 12:38 pm
Arawn knew he should be grateful to those who helped Laon. And he was! But he desperately wanted to get Laon to safety. He didn’t want to linger and wait to figure things out. He wanted to leave. Now.
He snarled in Remarque’s direction -- a knee jerk reaction more than actual malice -- when he suggested taking Laon to the hospital. His memory might have been bad, and he might not recall everything about what happened in the course of his life, but he had very little trust in doctors for many reasons. He was trying to trust the ones Jett was having him see, and for the most part, they were fine. But going to a hospital?
“He’s tired,” Arawn snapped defensively, keeping Laon in his arms. “I’m fine,” he also insisted, because if he was hurt, it was nothing compared to how Laon must have been feeling.
“Are you hurt?” he snarked back. But his eyes lingered on Remarque, looking him over to make sure he wasn’t bleeding anywhere, or wasn’t walking strangely. Just because he did care didn’t mean Arawn had to admit it.
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Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2025 3:07 pm
“Only my ears, stop yelling. It’s just us three here, you don’t have to be so defensive.”
Mirrorspace seemed in decent shape. There were no cracks in the foundation, no haunted mirrors. No answers, but he’d look more later.
“If I can’t get you two to see a doctor when you need to, I’m going to have to recruit people that have gone to med school so I can borrow them instead. Laon, how’s that degree in education going, can you fit more classes into your schedule?”
“Um, I can try,” Laon answered uncertainly. It didn’t matter what he said, Remarque just wanted to make sure he was still present.
“Not too late to be a doctor, is it?”
“I don’t think I’m smart enough for that,” Laon mumbled, picking at his uniform a bit.
Remarque huffed indignantly but didn’t press the matter. He waved his hand and a sofa appeared, big enough for the both of them to sit on.
He gestured towards it so Arawn would know it was meant for them. “Give me a minute to think about this. Neither of you are being completely honest with me. I don’t want to let you go home and find out you had a brain bleed or something.”
So, he started pacing. Mirrorspace was supposed to give them everything they wanted, right? He could really use a doctor right about now.
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Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2025 4:58 pm
Arawn bared his teeth when told not to be defensive, then scoffed at the suggestion for Laon to take on more work.
“You didn’t ask me if I wanted to be a doctor.”
Absolutely not. And he knew why Remarque wouldn’t even think about him being a doctor. Not only was his memory horrible, but his hands were unsteady, and he had garbage bedside manner. Except when it came to Laon, of course.
He huffed mockingly in return at Remarque, but went over to sit on the couch, setting Laon down beside him, but kept his arm around him to hold him close and carding his fingers through his hair.
Arawn wanted to ask more questions, but Remarque asked them for a minute to think, so he stubbornly kept his mouth shut. For now.
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Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2025 5:31 pm
“Do you want to be a doctor?” Remarque asked. “I was hoping I could count on you to look after the antique store when I retire. But I’ll put you through school if you’ve found something you want to study.”
Long hours? An unpredictable schedule? People? He doubted it was something Arawn would be seriously interested in, he was just pushing buttons.
Laon immediately leaned against Arawn, with a silent desperation. He liked the sensation about Arawn’s fingers in his hair, and he felt a bit more grounded while they were sitting down. He tried to rub sight back into his eyes and sat on one hand to hide how much it was trembling.
He could hear Remarque pacing but he couldn’t see anything so he didn’t try to follow him with his eyes.
Finally, Remarque stopped in front of them.
“Okay. Tell me honestly, what hurts? What doesn’t feel right? One of you needs to start, we’re not leaving until I get the full list.”
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Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2025 5:32 pm
At first, Arawn had clicked his tongue at Remarque’s question, because how was it that Remarque was allowed to just assume whatever he wanted about him? Maybe he did want to be a doctor! Maybe that was his dream!
But any built up tension he had, ready to burst at whatever stupid suggestion Remarque had--
Suddenly fizzed into nothing.
“...What?” he stared in wide-eyed disbelief, his shoulders slumped like a puppy being reprimanded, or maybe just one ashamed for being caught tearing up some slippers.
“Why?” was the quick follow-up. This time the disbelief was a bit more confident than innocent confusion.
Why would Jett count on him to look after the antique store when he retired? Shouldn’t it be left in the care of someone who wouldn’t break everything? Or wouldn’t scare all the customers away?
Arawn kept his arm around Laon, but reached over to gently take his wrist, pulling his hand away from hurting his eyes.
“I’m mostly just tired, I think,” he conceded, but took a moment to look himself over, just in case he missed anything. There were some nicks and tears in his outfit, but he didn’t feel any significant amount of pain.
“Laon, it’s okay. I won’t let him take you to the hospital, but please… let us help,” he said quietly, leaning to press his forehead against Laon’s temple so he could whisper to him.
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Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2025 5:34 pm
For a brief second, Laon seemed like he was protesting and almost tugged his wrist back to his eyes. Then, instead, he limply offered it to Arawn and just closed his eyes as his head hung.
He swallowed, but his mouth felt dry, and nodded. He heard Arawn. It was just harder to find his words.
Remarque bought him a moment of time when he said, “Because I trust you, Arawn. And you’ve been doing a good job. You’ve still got a lot to learn but I’m not going anywhere any time soon. So, no pressure.”
Laon looked like he wanted to ask about that too, but he wasn’t even sure if he’d heard correctly. His face was warm and his eyes felt wet so he squeezed them shut and forced his breathing to stay even.
He couldn’t see Remarque but he could feel his eyes on him.
His stomach flopped and he was worried about messing up whatever opportunities might be sitting in Arawn’s lap. He didn’t want Jett to change his mind because he was being difficult.
“It’s just my eyes,” he said, just the slightest bit nasally. He didn’t think it was too obvious. His throat burned but it was just because he was trying so hard to stay calm but he tried to speak loudly enough that Remarque could hear without straining. “I’m a little sore. My face hurts.” He felt like he was both rambling and not saying enough.
“The air was dry earlier, my ears hurt. Like I couldn’t get them to pop. And the air made my nose bleed a little. But that’s all. Honest.”
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Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2025 5:35 pm
Arawn didn’t know what to think about Remarque’s suggestion, but the idea of responsibility for something in the distant future was both uplifting and a heavy weight.
What if he didn’t make it to Jett retiring? What if the medicines didn’t work for him, and his memory got so bad that he couldn’t even remember his name?
His attention was pulled to Laon when he spoke. He rubbed his back and pressed a kiss against his head.
“See? We’re okay. You did a good job protecting us,” he mumbled sheepishly, because he knew that they would have all been toast if Remarque hadn’t used his fancy magic to keep them safe.
“So, uh… thank you for that.”
He glanced back down at Laon, but this time moved his hand away from Laon’s wrist, and instead placed his hand over his boyfriend’s eyes. He didn’t expect it to do anything, but maybe the gentle pressure could help keep him settled.
“Damn… I wish we bought one of those humidifiers. The apartment is always dry too. We can sit under the hot water until you feel better, how about that?” he offered, trying to stay calm, but upset with himself for not noticing Laon’s nose bleeding.
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Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2025 5:35 pm
For a moment, Remarque doubted the sincerity of Laon’s words, but he didn’t crumble under Remarque’s gaze–maybe because he couldn’t see it–so he was willing to accept that maybe he was finally getting the truth from them.
Laon tensed for the briefest second, and then almost immediately relaxed by leaning into Arawn’s hand.
He released a shuddery breath and repeated Arawn’s words of thanks. Softly, he added, “That would be nice, thank you.”
He didn’t want to admit that there had been a note taped to the door to the stairwell that said the water was going to be shut off. Maybe he could boil some bottled water instead. Maybe–
“You want a hotel for the night? I can’t imagine you going up all those stairs. I don’t want you to spread yourselves too thin. And if you won’t let me take you to the hospital, let me take you to a hotel by one. In case something happens. Is that a fair compromise?” Remarque asked, in that tone that said he intended to be pushy about it if they protested.
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Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2025 5:35 pm
Arawn wanted to protest. He wanted to tell Remarque that they were fine and could handle things on their own. They might be scraping the bottom of whatever barrel life gave them, but they had each other.
But Laon couldn’t see, and he’d had a rough time. Arawn didn’t know what food they had back at their place. Maybe hotels would have backup generators, since everything certainly looked dark from where they’d returned on the hill.
He pressed another kiss to Laon’s temple, because all he wanted was to make sure Laon had a better life than he’d had before.
“Only if we can get a snack or something too,” he huffed, even though he knew that being offered something and then asking for more wasn’t exactly a compromise.
But even if the lights were out, they could at least not worry about climbing the stairs. And they could put the air on really cold and cuddle under the covers.
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Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2025 5:38 pm
Laon was quiet for a moment, undoubtedly holding his breath because he was trying to pick up on if Remarque was going to be mad at them or not, but–
“Done,” Remarque said, with almost no delay between Arawn’s ‘compromise’.
With great relief, Laon exhaled. He thought it felt impossibly loud in the emptiness of Mirrorspace. He was so certain Remarque would have heard it, that he would have decided to change his mind, that he would have given up on them, but–
“I’ll charge it to my card, you can order whatever room service you want. And in the morning, you’ll call me and give me an update. Deal?”
Laon didn’t feel like he had much say in any of this, but he didn’t really think he needed to have one. Everything sounded good to him. He was anxious, he was glad Arawn was here to help carry the conversation and make decisions. He just wanted to go home–not that they had much of one, but truly, wherever Arawn was counted for home in his heart.
Maybe ‘bed’ was better. He wanted a shower. He wanted to close his eyes and pretend like it was sleep that had stolen his vision. He wanted to wake up to a better, brighter world, with all his aches and worries left behind.
He had so much doubt in his heart that it was leaking out and darkening his thoughts. When had Remarque ever been mad at them? When had he ever retracted an offer? They owed him so much, Laon couldn’t even imagine how they could ever pay him back.
Thankfully, he still didn’t seem to expect payment.
It hurt his head to think about, so instead he just slouched against Arawn and let himself find comfort in his arms.
He nodded to Remarque’s question, but he’d have agreed to anything, anyway.
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Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2025 5:39 pm
While Arawn squeezed Laon and rubbed his back, he squinted suspiciously at Remarque. Not that Remarque had ever done anything to harm them, or break their trust. But he was fairly certain he felt the same as Laon.
They were just waiting for the other shoe to drop. Surely something would happen and Remarque would want them to pay him back in full.
But… then why was he saying things like how he wanted him of all people to take over when he retired? It made no sense.
Try as he might, Arawn couldn’t stop his walls from slowly being chipped away. As much as he wanted to keep them up, to protect not only himself but Laon as well, it was becoming slowly easier to agree to what Remarque said, and what he offered. And to trust him.
“Yeah, okay. Deal. We’ll let you know how things are,” he promised.
And for a moment, he let himself breathe and actually looked around.
“That thing… the crossbow or whatever…”
He frowned as he looked around the nothingness of Mirrorspace.
“What else can this place do that we haven’t even thought of?”
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Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2025 5:40 pm
“Wish I knew,” Remarque answered, glancing at the now empty spot on the wall where the mirror used to be. “We’re going to have to get creative and see what else it can come up with.”
Laon’s attention had piqued briefly, if only because he didn’t know the status of Mirrorspace. It was a subtle curiosity and Remarque only just barely caught the way Laon seemed to be a bit more alert.
And yet, Laon didn’t ask for more information. He was just waiting to see what he could piece together.
Remarque decided to make it easy for him and said, “For some reason, I thought when we got back here, the mirror would still be here. I wanted to take another look at the ballista–the big crossbow–but I guess I’m not surprised that the whole room decided to move on. I might still have some of those shards in subspace but I’m not going to dig around there right now. I wanted to get you two a water bottle but when I tried to grab it I just kept finding scales instead. So if you two are pulling anything out of subspace, be careful.
“I’ll keep checking back in and see if I can find it. You want an update if I do? You two can come explore Mirrorspace with me, if you ever want a tour guide. Have you two spent much time here on your own or does life keep you busy?”
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Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2025 5:40 pm
Arawn stroked his hand down Laon’s back and through his hair, his other hand still gently covering his eyes. He could tell that Laon might have been interested by the way he subtly shifted, but he didn’t make any attempt to struggle away from him.
“You’re the one who sets our schedules,” Arawn huffed at Remarque but then shrugged. “Yeah if you don’t mind? I’d like to explore,” he decided, because the fact that Mirrorspace made a whole-- what did Remarque call it? A ballista? Then what else could it make?
It seemed like such a waste of potential. Why weren’t others utilizing things more? Unless it was because it was all stuck in Mirrorspace itself.
That was fine. They would just have to figure things out.
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Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2025 5:41 pm
Remarque gave Arawn something of a look. “Your whole lives don’t revolve around your work schedules, do they? Maybe we need to find you two some better hobbies. We’ll carve out some time for me to show you around Mirrorspace.”
Not that anything was ever the same for long, but maybe it would give them whatever foundation they needed to make their own mark.
He watched Laon’s face, because while there was still much that he couldn’t decipher, he was at least familiar with his hopeful, determined expression.
Good. Remarque didn’t want to see him give up.
“Have you two rested enough? …You look exhausted, I want to make sure you have time to settle in and relax.”
He knew Laon couldn’t see, so he held out a hand to Arawn. “I’ll get you nice rooms for tonight. Fancy ones, with robes and toothbrushes waiting for you in the room so you don’t have to worry about it. I think you’ve earned it. You know you helped save Earth, right? Has that started to sink in yet?”
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