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 Posted: Fri Mar 17, 2017 8:34 pm
"Ahhh, Yuri...!" Laurel chimed, his hands moving out to gently clap. "Mmhm, tired. Couch was soft, but dad said we were leaving so..." He paused and let out a long yawn. "I'm here now, yaaaay..."
In truth, he was very happy to be here. He'd wanted to see Yuri again, espescially after such a short meeting yesterday. However, his energy level was just too low, even though he'd been sleeping for most of the day. Something didn't feel quite right about that, but he couldn't place it.
"Your room? Okay." He said, allowing Yuri to lead him forward without a fuss. "I'm exciteeeed..."With Laurel in the care of Yuri, Oliver felt that he could relax a little bit. Another Raevan was surely an okay alternative to a guardian for the time being, right? They had to understand one another on some level. ... But then again, most humans didn't know how to relate to one another. Would it be alright to assume that of Raevans? He shook those thoughts away for now.
He turned, then, and looked upon Yves with an understanding, almost knowing look in his eyes. There was something so familiar about how he looked. Hugging himself, unable to make eye contact, sighing... He'd been there before, in Yves' position, some ten odd years ago. He didn't know exactly why or how to make it better, but failure was certain if he didn't try. He leaned down and tried to look the younger man in the eye.
"You don't need to say anything at all." He soothed, extending his hand. "I know this may sound odd coming from me, but I've been where you are right now. I may not know your exact feelings or exactly what's going on, but I want you to know that your feelings are valid and that I want to help you as best I can. Believe me, Yves, when I say that everything is fine and that I'm not upset with you at all."
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Posted: Fri Mar 17, 2017 9:23 pm
"You sound excited," Yuri teased, playfully patting Laurel's head. What was up with all the sleepyheads today? He supposed Laurel had a good excuse, at least. Yves... he didn't know what was going on with him.
"Well, this is my room," he announced, gesturing out toward the tidy space. It had his bed, a dresser, a toy box, some exercise equipment, a television, and a few other odds and ends. Thankfully, he'd cleaned it a couple days ago -- not that he ever allowed it to get very dirty. Yves was pretty strict about Keeping Your Room Clean. He hated a dirty house, which Yuri agreed with.
Drifting to the middle of the room, Yuri pointed to his bed and looked at Laurel. "If you wanna sleep, you can use my bed. Do you like cartoons? Have you ever watched tv before? My dad sleeps with music on..."
He'd never been a babysitter before. Was he doing it right? He tried to think of all the ways Yves had taken care of him, particularly when he was just born. He rubbed his chin and thought about it more. "Um, is there anything you need? Just let me know, I'll try to find it."
In the living room, Yves wondered if he would be able to hold it together for much longer. Talking on the phone was one thing, Oliver couldn't see his face. He could hang up when he wanted and walk away from the conversation. Instead, here he was, forced to deal with it. Again he wondered how the hell all of this blew up to such a big deal.
"It, it probably looks ridiculous," Yves mumbled, flinching away when Oliver came closer. "But, you know, there is... other stuff, too. I know it looks like I freaked out over nothing, but I just got... embarrassed and I already felt terrible about the phone and the wall, and..." He sucked in a breath and slowed down. "And honestly, I really care about you, Oliver, and I don't want things to be awkward between us, you're one of my best friends. A-also I have not been sleeping well for a while, s-so that did not help, and..."
He stopped and bit his lip. Oh, boy, there it was again. He felt the rise of hot, stinging tears and immediately brought his hands up to his cheeks. "Oh, no," he whimpered, and the tears fell. "Not again, not here, I..."
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Posted: Fri Mar 17, 2017 9:49 pm
Laurel made a soft noise as his head was pat and made a soft pout. Why didn't people pat him more than once? He liked pats, espescially when he was tired. Oliver pet his head the day he brought him home and that was the best thing ever. Mm, but he was too tired to complain.
"Woooow!" He exclaimed, rubbing his eye. Yuri's room was nothing like his room. His room had a lot of spots and weird figurines and shelves. It was part of the reason why he liked sleeping next to Oliver. He had a nicer, calmer room.
"Sleep sounds nice, but what's a... Tee-vee?" He asked, squinting.Oliver took a half-step back when Yves flinched. He wanted to be closer because that was how he understood comfort, but if Yves wanted space, he'd give him all the space he needed. The professor withdrew his hand and clasped it in the other.
"It's not ridiculous and it certainly isn't over nothing." He said, shaking his head. "I know you may think that it is, but you aren't allowing yourself the right to your own feelings. And, in fact, I should have let you have a moment to calm dow-"
He paused, his eyes growing wide. Yves was crying. Right here in front of him. Oliver's mouth fell open and his hands unclasped and hovered in the air, unsure of where to go. Did he reach forward, close the gap, and probably make this even more frightening for Yves, or did he stay put and wait to see if he'd calm down? His eyes grew misty through the dilemma and, finally, he resigned.
"I'm sorry, I can't stand here and watch you like this..." He heaved, moving to gently pull Yves into a hug. "It's just not within me. I'm sorry. Let it out, please. I swear, on my honor, that I do not mind."
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Posted: Fri Mar 17, 2017 10:34 pm
Oh, boy. Yuri rubbed his neck and tried to think of how to explain something like a tv to a newborn. "Um, a tv is... it's a box you can watch stuff on. That's all I can really say about it. Here, look."
He picked up the remote off of his dresser and clicked the television on. It was set to a cartoon channel, this time featuring a cat and a mouse chasing one another around. He recognized the show, he watched it sometimes. He liked it a lot more when he was younger, though. Now it was just background noise when he couldn't sleep at night.
"If you don't like this, I can find something else to watch," he told Laurel. "I don't like sleeping in complete silence, so sometimes I have the tv on. The noise helps keep my head from working too hard to where I can't sleep. Uh, what I mean by that is that sometimes I think too much and need a distraction."
Did that make sense? Was he doing a good job? He couldn't help but feel a little distracted because of Yves. One ear was trained on Laurel, the other turned outward toward the door. He didn't mean to eavesdrop, but he was worried, damn it.
Yves allowed himself to be embraced, although he felt his whole body bristle in response. He let out the breath he'd been holding in his chest and just pressed his face into Oliver's shoulder.
The last thing he said made him laugh, muffled by Oliver's shirt. "Y-your honor?" he asked, sniffing loudly. He reached up to wipe his face off on his own sleeve. "What... what are you, some kind of hero knight or s-something?"
God, if he was trying to fulfill a bucket list of Most Embarrassing Things to Do, Ever, then he was doing a really good job. He didn't know what to do with his arms -- hug him back? Push him away? -- so they stayed up by his face as a sort of barrier between his weepy eyes and Oliver's poor shirt.
"God, I'm sorry, you don't deserve to deal with me," he groaned. "You're not.. not my therapist. S-speaking of, I should probably get one, haha..."
He wiped his eyes again and rested his cheek against Oliver's shoulder. "Hah... I am so pathetic. I would be so annoyed with myself by now. How do you do it?"
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Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2017 3:36 pm
Laurel squinted and watched Yuri turn the television on. The description of the device itself didn't make sense to him, but when the device switched on and started making sound, he couldn't help but drift toward it. Was it like a window? Why was that cat chasing chasing the mouse? And, more importantly, why were they hitting each other with things? This didn't seem like a very nice thing to watch. He yawned.
"Mmm, this is weird..." He mumbled, arching a brow toward it. "I don't get it. Why are they chasing each other? Why did the cat hit to mouse with that big board...?"
He tilted his head, blinked, and looked tiredly to Yuri. He wanted to stop being tired. He didn't like it, or this weird vibration that his rune was making. He reached toward it and furrowed his brow.
"I feel funny." He said, taking a breath. "Like... Wobbly? Is that a word?"Ah! He'd made Yves laugh! A small triumph! Oliver beamed.
"There's something I like to hear!" He cheered, giving a laugh of his own. "But, no, I'm not a hero or anything remotely similar. I'm just an ordinary man who cares about his friends. I am glad I made you laugh, though."
He didn't know whether or not to give Yves a pat or smooth his hair, so he kept his arms gently wrapped around the younger man's back. However, his grip tightened ever so slightly as Yves continued to put himself down. How he wished he could squash this negativity like a bug!
"Please, stop. You aren't a problem for me at all." He said, huffing. "But, if you want to talk about people deserving things, I think you deserve respect and care no matter how annoying you think you are."
He paused, his eyebrows arching. How did he do it? What kind of question was that? If he weren't trying to be level-headed right now, he would have puffed his cheeks!
"You're not pathetic, just struggling." He stressed. "And the answer to that? I care. I care so much about you because you're one of my closest friend. I do this because I want you to know that there is always someone who will be there and who will try to understand. You aren't alone, I'm here for as long as you want me around. I promise that."
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Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2017 7:46 pm
"Hm?" Yuri grunted, his attention drawn to Laurel. He turned, eyes widening. Without hesitating he reached out and hooked his arm around his shoulders, just in case he were to fall. "Are you okay? I-I don't know what you need, do you need rest?"
He tried to think of what he could do. His first thought was that he needed to get Yves, or Oliver, or both. He wasn't a doctor (even though sometimes he entertained the idea, if just for a little while). Heck, he was hardly a year old. He looked around the room for help that wasn't going to be there.
"Um, let's go ask my dad," he decided, although his face betrayed the confidence he was trying to show. He didn't want to alarm Laurel by overreacting, so he forced a smile. "You probably just need to sleep, but just in case... my dad knows more than me, so..."
Yves could feel himself grow flustered again, so he held up his hands, placed his palms on his chest and gently eased himself back a little. He never even got that close with his family anymore. He focused on Oliver's shirt instead of his face.
"Thank you," he replied; although his expression had fallen back into its usual sour self, his tone was earnest. He hastily wiped his face again with his sleeve and used Oliver's arm to support himself. "I... I guess I needed this. I don't like to talk about myself very often. I don't like to think about things that bother me, either."
He dipped his head and sighed -- for what felt like the thousandth time -- and then looked up at Oliver with an odd expression. "I wonder what made me do that," he remarked, brow furrowing. "I know you were just teasing me. But for some reason, I just felt so... I don't know. I was so embarrassed for no reason. Embarrassed and..."
He scratched his cheek, looking down again. The longer he talked about it, the harder it was to look Oliver in the eye. "I don't know. I was being ridiculous, and you don't need to try to tell me otherwise. It's... okay, really. Honestly, I'm more concerned with how you are feeling. Are you... are you alright?"
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Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2017 8:40 pm
Well, a rest sounded really nice right about now, but something kept telling Laurel that it wasn't going to solve what was really going on. The cheetah clicked his tongue and pressed his brain for an answer. His rune was acting weird, he felt tired, and... Something was missing? He placed a hand on his head and closed his eyes.
Then, suddenly, he remembered something. Oliver had gotten up each day so far, gone into the kitchen, and made himself something to "eat", and told Laurel that he was doing it because he was "hungry". Did he need to do that too? He looked to Yuri for guidance.
"Uh, wait." He muttered, his lips twisting in thought. "I just remembered something my dad said to me. Do you know what hungry is?"Oliver eased up as soon as Yves did and placed his arms back at his sides. Being that close, in hindsight, did seem like a bit too much... But for some reason, Oliver felt a little sad. He placed that feeling on the back burner for now.
"Frankly, I don't either." He replied, clasping his hands with a soft chuckle. "But, once in a while, it's good to find a way to get rid of the stress. I'd hate to see how stressed out I'd be if I didn't vent a little, even if it's over something small."
His expression became somewhat confused at Yves remark, and slightly more so over the comment of teasing. When had he teased Yves? Was it when he'd called him cute? That had been nothing short of genuine!
... But, then what did that mean from his perspective? A soft blush rose to his cheeks. Oh no. He actually did think Yves was cute, but not in a platonic manner. Did that mean that he had a...
... Crush on Yves?
"I-I-uh..." He stammered, moving a hand up to his mouth to clear his throat. "I know you think you were being ridiculous, but I don't see it that way. I feel like I should have known to step back and let you breathe. I... Made it a lot harder for you to calm down and feel comfortable again. I just..."
He took a breath and sighed it out. How was he feeling? A little nervous. Would that go away soon? Hopefully. Could he carry on talking like this for now without making a fool of himself? If he were damn lucky.
"I won't lie, I did lose some sleep, but that's nothing for you to worry about." He said, his lips puckering. "I was worried that you weren't going to call after what had happened and, honestly, I... Almost convinced myself that you wouldn't. ... It was a difficult morning, but that really doesn't matter to me now. You called, you proved me wrong, and now we're here and things are okay."
He paused, a twinge of anxiety rippling through his chest. Things were okay, right? Or had he spoken too soon?
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Posted: Mon Mar 20, 2017 10:40 pm
Yuri blinked. Hungry? How did Laurel not know what hungry was? Hadn't he eaten anything since he'd gone home with Oliver? One of Yuri's most basic instincts had been to feed himself, which had, thankfully, also come to him rather naturally. His essence had pulled him to what he needed to eat from and he'd figured it out from there -- with a little sleuthing from Yves, of course. He scratched his head.
"Um, Laurel... you haven't eaten? Ever?" he asked, looking incredulous. "You know, you... you gotta eat. If you don't eat, you'll, um... die." Panic mode began to once again trickle into his system. If Oliver, his own guardian, didn't know what he ate yet, how was he supposed to figure it out? His mind raced as he tried to remember what Laurel was made of.
"What's your essence again?" he blurted, suddenly feeling the pressure. If Laurel was getting dizzy, it was only a matter of time before he was too weak to even feed, right? What then?
Yves watched Oliver with a rising bit of confusion settling onto his features. Oliver had been handling the whole thing pretty well up until now, why the sudden nervousness? Maybe he was just having a hard time coming up with ways to tell Yves that everything was okay. Or he was having a hard time finding nice ways to tell Yves to shut up. He laughed at that thought, the sound short and bitter; he knew he didn't think highly of himself, but boy, was he going for the gold this time.
And then Yves felt the need to make Oliver feel better. He hated being on the receiving end of sympathy, but he was always, always willing to help someone else out when they needed it. Unless they were being lazy slobs, then, well... they could go sit in syrup, let the bees get 'em.
Mustering up all of his polar bear strength, Yves gave Oliver a playful jab in the side with his elbow. "You thought you would get rid of me so easily? Hah! We French men are stronger than we look. Even if we look like... well, me."
His mouth rested in a more relaxed smile, although his eyes still held the usual amount of worry. "I truly am sorry for putting you through that. I guess we are both incredibly dramatic, aren't we? Should we agree to never do that again?"
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Posted: Mon Mar 20, 2017 11:12 pm
Nope. Laurel had no idea what being hungry was, but he supposed with Yuri's reaction that it was whatever was making him feel so weak. However, unlike Yuri who had been given the opportunity to figure everything out slowly when he came into being, Laurel had been thrown into the world and distracted for the last three days. Everything was so shiny, new, and confusing... How was he supposed to pay attention to such a small vibration? He yawned.
"Die?" He asked, tilting his head and blinking. "Uh... Heavy feather. Does that mean something?" Oliver couldn't mentally kick himself any further. How dare his heart do this to him at a time like this? A crush? Really? He adjusted his collar.
"I have never wanted to get rid of you. Ever." He quipped, jumping and chuckling as he was jabbed. "Uh, excuse me? What exactly is wrong with your appearance? ... I mean, on a general level. Why do you keep putting yourself down? There's nothing wrong with you!"
God, choosing his words was more important than ever now, wasn't it? He couldn't just dish compliments out, he had to be careful and subtle. He didn't want to make more uncomfortable situations by showing that he might be attracted to Yves...
"... Okay, apology accepted." He said, offering Yves a smile. "And, uh, yes. I think we would both be much happier without the drama and silliness. Would it be reasonable to say that if either of us ever feels uncomfortable or upset when we're together, we could give the other some kind of warning? Maybe a phrase or gesture?"
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Posted: Mon Apr 10, 2017 12:01 am
Yuri was not a scientist. He didn't even feel like he was that smart yet. So, trying to decipher what kind of thing a raevan would feed off of was... daunting. His ears pinned back in utter distress and he grasped Laurel's shoulders.
"Heavy feather?" he repeated, and then he said it a few times in his head. Heavy feather, heavy... feather. Did he eat feathers? Birds? He was a cat, right? No, he was focusing too much on the feather part. As a raevan, he drained bones of their essence and left them to crumble to dust. What would Laurel eat, then?
It hit him suddenly, and Yuri turned his head to look around the room for an object, anything. His lamp sat innocently on the side table and he yanked it up from its perch, unplugging it roughly from the wall in the process. In one hand he tried to judge its weight. If Laurel didn't eat birds or chew on feathers, maybe his feeding method had something to do with... weight?
"Here," Yuri offered, still holding Laurel's shoulder in one hand and the lamp in the other. "Do you... know how to use your powers at all? This lamp is pretty solid, so..."
He paused and tried to figure out how to explain himself. If Laurel didn't know, how was he supposed to? He wasn't a genius. He thought about it really hard.
"So... a heavy feather is weird because... feathers are light, right? They weigh basically nothing." He held the lamp up to Laurel's face. "So can you... can you make this lamp light like a... like a feather, Laurel? Can you try?" It was a long shot, but he had to try something.
Yves breathed a quick sigh of relief and mentally patted himself on the back. Phew, his plan had worked. Another day, another job of pushing his own feelings to the back burner successfully, a job well done. Was it healthy? No, but it was easy. A+ job.
He put his hands on his hips and pursed his lips. "A phrase or gesture? Why don't we just say, 'You are making me uncomfortable!' Or something like that. I think we both know how to say that nice enough so we don't hurt each other's feelings, oui?" He offered a smile, but it was a half-hearted attempt at one.
"Oliver," he spoke suddenly, gently. His gaze fell to the floor and his smile wavered just a bit. "I am so sorry. I'm not used to, um, well, I mean, it's usually women who..."
He trailed off and gestured helplessly, feeling his face once again turn that familiar tinge of red. Now what was wrong with him? He was used to people being forward with him, he knew he had a baby face that could be described as... if he allowed himself a bit of vanity, cute. And while it was true that Oliver was definitely his type - older, kind, funny - he was his friend. And Oliver certainly had not been coming onto him the day before in his kitchen. And his own over-reaction had definitely not been because he'd been simultaneously excited and terrified of the possibility that it could have been something more than a flippant, teasing gesture.
He'd dismissed it entirely as having had a bad day, being stressed, etc, but he was choosing to run away from the weird butterflies that seemed to have taken up residence in his stomach whenever Oliver smiled at him.
No, it wasn't anything at all. He'd had a bad day. He was stressed out. He'd over-reacted and that was that. His mind drew circles around him, asking, Why don't you want to be happy, too? He ignored them, like he always did.
He never had time for relationships. They never worked out and they always ruined his friendships. He'd given up on trying to date a long time ago.
Still, he found himself always wishing to be as physically close to Oliver as he could manage without trespassing into Weird Territory. Even subconsciously he would invade his personal space, something he always took extra care not to do to others, even Yuri. The implications of this were not lost on him, but that didn't mean he had to give it too much thought.
Realizing he was taking way too much time with his inner monologue, Yves brought his hands up in two awkward fists and stammered, "What I meant! What... what I meant to say is, I took your joke seriously, and... I made it weird. It was my fault."
He lowered his hands and looked up at Oliver. His expression was unreadable as he searched the older man's face for answers. Carefully, he said, "Silly me... right?"
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Posted: Tue Apr 11, 2017 8:34 pm
Laurel had begun to doze again and let out a long, heaving yawn. Yuri seemed to be so fussed over this hungry thing, but all it was doing was making him sleepy. Was it really that bad? His eyes fluttered, blinked, and widened in surprise as a lamp was suddenly offered to him. He tilted his head, having completely missed what Yuri had said, and took the lamp into his hands.
Then, a strange pulling sensation came over him. It started at his fingertips and rapidly swept over his shoulders, before it pooled over his rune and disappeared. Bewildered, Laurel squinted at the lamp and hummed.
"... I think something happened?" He said, tilting the lamp about in his hands. "I felt kinda funny, like my hands and my arms..."
He didn't have the words to describe it, so he couldn't convey the feeling to Yuri. Maybe it was something he could talk to dad about? He arched a brow and, absentmindedly, let the lamp fall from his grasp.
But instead of slamming to the floor and smashing to pieces, it floated gently down and settled without a sound between the two Raevans. Laurel, not thinking anything of it, turned his attention back to the TV.
"What else does this box do?" He asked, looking visibly more alert.Oliver tensed. Well, yes, of course that would do. After all, that was a far more adult way of handling this than, say, making the code word "bananas" or something equally ridiculous. Though, the fact that they had to have this conversation in the first place wasn't exactly comfortable either. He resigned to trying to smile.
He watched Yves trail off and felt his heart catch somewhere in his throat. ... Of course, women. Yves liked women. Why else would he have placed that detail there? Only women had called Yves cute before and, when Oliver had said it, he had made Yves uncomfortable because of that. Of course, of course, how could he be so stupid? He clasped his hands.
... He supposed this was okay. Realizing his crush now and having to let it go in the same amount of time would be alright, wouldn't it? It wasn't like he'd been dating Yves already and this was just coming at him like a blindside. He could handle this.
Or he could at least try.
"I... I still insist that you've done nothing wrong, Yves." He replied, swallowing his pride in order to lie. "I'm the one who should apologize for... Making that joke. I'm sorry."
He cleared his throat and took a breath, before glancing down the hall.
"I, er, wonder what the boys are up to? They've been pretty quiet." He said.
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Posted: Tue Apr 11, 2017 9:54 pm
Yuri watched the whole thing unfold with wide eyes, an alarmed expression glued to his face. He didn't know what was going to happen, and he didn't see anything happen, but he did notice that Laurel seemed to visibly perk up afterward.
He was about to say something, but Laurel dropped the lamp and his first instinct had been to dive for it; instead, he hesitated and watched it gently drift to the ground, as if it were...
"Light as a feather," Yuri breathed, and then a huge grin broke out onto his face. When Laurel focused back onto the tv, Yuri quickly floated between it and Laurel and held his hands out toward him, palms open.
"You did it!" he exclaimed, surprising even himself by how loud he was being. He was so relieved, he didn't even care. A raevan hadn't died in his bedroom. That was something worth celebrating, right? Seizing Laurel by the shoulders, he gripped him in a tight hug.
"I'm so glad," he said, quickly releasing Laurel with a pat on his back. "Sorry, um, that was rude of me. I was just so excited. What if we never figured it out, I mean..." His eyes grew wide again. "That would be so scary. Do you feel... okay? Do you feel better now?"
He didn't know how Yves would feel about the lamp, but he felt that saving Laurel's life was a little more important than sub-par decor. Hell, he might not even notice. He was so pre-occupied with Oliver, lately. Yuri rolled his shoulders and breathed a huge sigh of relief.
Yves bristled just slightly. Right, so it was a joke. He resumed his fakest smile, doing his best to make it appear as pleasant as possible. See? he told himself. It was nothing. It was always nothing. Why had he been so worked up?
He felt strange. Like he'd been expecting something -- hoping for something -- that didn't come. Deep down, he knew that kind of feeling was extremely unreasonable. What kind of person was he to say one thing, do another, and back again? Poor Oliver, even Yves didn't know what he wanted. All he knew was that he didn't want to hurt him, or himself.
Still, his heart ached a little. He shook his head quickly when Oliver apologized.
"No, don't be sorry," he rushed. "You don't ever have to be sorry. You're perfect. Why would you be sorry? God, isn't it all on me?"
Oliver had changed the subject hastily. Yves bit his lip and looked down the hallway, too, before slowly trailing back to look up at Oliver. He hesitated.
"Wait."
And then he reached one hand forward to weakly grip at Oliver's sleeve. There he was again, trying to touch. Always trying to touch. He looked at the floor.
"Oliver, we... we're still friends, aren't we?"
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Posted: Wed Apr 12, 2017 11:22 am
Finding himself suddenly being wrapped in a hug, Laurel couldn't help but tense. However, after realizing that this was the first hug that another Raevan had ever given him,
his mouth quickly split into a grin. He may not have understood why he was being hugged in the first place, but hey, a hug was a hug!
"I don't-What did I do?" He chattered, his arms reaching out as Yuri pulled away. Aw, no, come on! Why did hugs have to end? He pouted and furrowed his brow. "Uh... I feel lighter? Like I'm not being pulled down to the floor anymore. Is that why you're excited?"
Now that he thought about it, he didn't really remember what he'd been talking about before. He knew that he'd felt very, very tried and heavy, and there was something about hungry? His lips twisted until, finally, it all made sense.
"Ooooh! Did I stop the hungry?" He gasped, his hands clapping together. "... How did I do that?"Oliver froze. ... Perfect. Yves had called him perfect. He wanted to turn right around and tell him everything he could think of to prove him wrong. He still struggled with addiction, he left laundry to pile up for weeks, he'd been hung up on a decade and a half old break up until last year because he was a huge, oversensitive, emotional cry-baby who was never used to rejection. He wasn't perfect, he was the exact opposite of perfect! He was broken, he was sad, he was slow, wrong, different, out-of-place, emotionally stunted, and so many other things, how could Yves think he was perfect?
He fought the urge to clench his fists and let it pass, before turning as his sleeve was touched. ...Such a weak, gentle grip. He wanted to take Yves' hand and give it a squeeze, but now was not the time.
"Of course we are." He answered, more matter-of-fact than he would have liked. "I don't see a reason why we can't or shouldn't be. Let's just... Move on from here and keep one another's boundaries in mind."
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Posted: Wed Apr 12, 2017 11:52 am
Yuri's mouth hung open. God, he really was just a newborn. He didn't know anything! Yuri recalled a time where he, too, knew very little and the world was incredibly scary. He supposed every raevan was different, just like people were. Laurel was learning at his own pace, and Yuri wanted to make sure to respect that pace and avoid pushing too much onto him at a time.
He gestured toward Laurel. "You did! I...I think," he stammered, still trying to figure it out, himself. The way Laurel described how he'd been feeling, it made sense. At least, from his own experiences, it did. He tapped a finger against his chin in thought.
"Um, I don't know how you... did it, though," he mused. He cast Laurel a sidelong look. "I mean, only you know that. Do you want to try it again? Just to make sure?"
He took a look around his room. Everything in it was replaceable. Yves might not have appreciated his methods, but furniture could always be replaced. Laurel, on the other hand, was irreplaceable. He knew Oliver, at least, would be grateful for his meddling.
Oh. The mood in the room had shifted so drastically, Yves felt his breath catch in his throat. He took a quick step back, regarding Oliver with a searching look. Somewhere in his head, an obvious voice asked the important questions.
How long could denial be an excuse? Something was obviously wrong. Normal friends didn't act like that unless something was wrong. He'd basically strong-armed Oliver into admitting that everything had been one big joke, no feelings attached. That they weren't steadily venturing down a road they couldn't come back from. He'd forced the situation to be something it wasn't, for his own sake.
Because he was being selfish. He quickly swiped a hand across his eyes and tried to figure out what the hell he was supposed to be feeling.
"Ri... right," he agreed, although his face betrayed his words at every opportunity. He had made this bed, now he had to lie in it. He had decided that it wasn't going to be anything. He had already stained their friendship, he could feel it.
He closed his eyes. He didn't have many friends. He always blamed work - always work's fault, never his. He worked too much, no time. It was easier than taking responsibility for his own faults. Yet, here he was, with someone that work had never interfered with, and already he had turned things sour.
His mind reeled. He didn't know what he wanted. He didn't know what Oliver wanted. When they felt close, closer than ever, he was happy, but also nervous and scared. So he had to push him away and make some sort of wall between them. Even that didn't help. The uncertainty of the future was terrifying, but the thought of losing Oliver's friendship was something even worse; worse still, he had no idea how to tread from there on.
All he knew was that he had a massive headache. For some reason, he just felt so overwhelmed. Slowly, he sank back down to the couch and held a hand to his forehead.
"Sorry," he mumbled. His hand was so cold, it already made his head feel a little better. "I think I'm just tired from yesterday. I just need to sit down for a few minutes... sorry, Oliver. Why don't you... why don't you go check on the boys."
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Posted: Wed Apr 12, 2017 12:21 pm
Laurel watched Yuri's reaction carefully. Clearly defeating the hungry had been something far more significant than he'd originally thought, though he couldn't understand why. Was the hungry a bad thing? All it had done was make him feel super tired! ... Though, if he took that thought into account, being super tired hadn't felt very good at all, so maybe it was a good thing? He clasped his hands and smiled.
"Yes! I want to see if I can do that again!" He agreed, nodding furiously. "Maybe I was too tired before, so I don't remember what I did!" The mood in the room had indeed changed. Oliver felt as though he were standing on a floor made of icicles and eggshells. He didn't want to do anything that could potentially make Yves feel uncomfortable, and for him that meant standing straight with his arms close to his sides. No more reaching out, no more poetic words of comfort, he had to look as though he weren't interested in anything more than friendship. He breathed in and sighed.
"No worries, I understand." He replied, beating back a look of yearning as Yves sank back onto the couch. "You rest. I'll... Make sure Laurel and Yuri aren't getting into any trouble."
He had a feeling that the boys were getting along just fine because of how quiet they were, but seeing how tense things were with he and Yves right now, was it really safe to assume that? He wandered, slowly, down the hall and stopped in front of the door.
"How are you two doing in there? Having fun?" He called. He could hear the sound of a television going behind the door, which made him tense. Hopefully Laurel wasn't scared of that like he'd been with the telephone the day before. He'd hate for something of Yves' to break after all the stress he'd put him through.
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