Welcome to Gaia! ::

Algie had seen the scar on his leg in the scar, the one that was no longer fresh and clearly had been cauterized to some degree. His husband had tried to ask about it but Jeremiah had silenced him with a kiss that promised they would talk about it later.

It was later.

“Who was it?” he asked instead of answering. “Your patron.” Jeremiah wanted to know because he did not know that. That answer and then-

Then they could talk about.

“Ah, that’s-” Jeremiah smoothed his hand along his leg, along the scar, and then rubbed a hand across his face. “Better than I expected to hear.”

Considering the list of people who could have been his patron, Thorne was oddly reassuring. Thorne understood to some degree.

“Ezra.” The name tumbled out and there was a certain level of relief in telling this to Algie and not something that wore his face. “... but I was taken nearly two months ago, not long after the ball. I returned a week ago.”

“I’m sorry.” The words tumbled out before he could stop it. Jeremiah actually looked down a moment, taking a quiet sip of his tea before simply holding it between his hands to enjoy the warmth.

It would take another moment for him to say something else, to continue on. In the meantime he leaned to set the teacup down and hold out a hand for Algie to take.

The tremor of discomfort was acceptable because it was understandable. Jeremiah was still happy that Algie was Algie, that even if his feelings were muted or not there, he knew the other was here. Just another quiet reassurance for him.

“Ezra has had my number since the day he met me.” He paused a moment, then clarified. “This me.” Jeremiah tugged Algie upwards and pulled him towards the bed to lay down in it.

“I was stripped of all magic and abilities,” he said, blue-green eyes cutting towards his husband, “except for my back.” Which included the pain and the chill but- “I wasn’t paying attention and sliced my leg badly. The twins helped clean it, Ezra sealed it.” Jeremiah’s tone was very careful in talking about Ezra but he was explaining the scar as promised.

Which had him looking to Algie’s knuckles, the way they were beaten up now, and to his face that still had some of the reddish look to it from the fight. There had been a number of bruises on him as well.

Jeremiah lifted Algie’s hand a moment and pressed a kiss to his knuckles, one after another until he was kissing the back of his hand.

“I know but-” Jeremiah shrugged, wrapping his arms back around Algie and sighing. “I said I would explain that much.” There was no desire to truly talk about it, not right now.

“The only thing I want to do ...” There was a brief pause, Jeremiah correcting himself. “... need to do, rather, is be with you. Everything else can come when it’s time.” Which meant he was finishing the process and pulling Algie the rest of the way to the bed and nudging him to lay down.

Even the upset was reassuring.

The fetch had not been anything but oddly understanding and that had made matters worse somehow. Jeremiah shifted when Algie clearly was having trouble adjusting and he understood why.

So he shifted and moved, adjusting the pillows around them both, and pulled Algie onto him for the most part. His arms wrapped around the other, holding him close and nuzzling his face into his hair. “How about,” he said softly, “you just keep me warm and I’ll hold you forever?”

Jeremiah pressed a kiss to Algie’s hair and, not unlike he had done after the ball, quietly murmured his vows to his husband.

His eyes burned but he was done trying to hold things in.

Jeremiah did not say anything else, just held Algie tightly. Tears would p***k at his eyes and he would tremble as well but he would hold his husband. They were back together now, the both of them, but things had been changed- they had been changed.

The path had been in front of them both and they had both taken it with the other in mind. His arm loosened, hand moving to tilt Algie’s head up and press a kiss to his forehead, the corner of his eye, and then softly to his lips. It was a reassurance, a promise, it was everything that he could not say at the moment.

As much as they had lost, they had gained, and together-

Together.

That was what mattered.