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 Posted: Mon Sep 12, 2022 3:09 am
Aelius’s eyes slid from Eion to Waru after he carefully deposited the watch back into it’s true owner’s hand. That raised brow and almost haughty knowing look said enough that the mediator in this situation had certainly done…something. The real question was what? This whole situation was borderline weird with how forthcoming their dear General had been this evening, and if there was magic involved, well…that would explain it. It would also explain why his own mouth seemed more loose and forthcoming against his better judgement. Aelius could only imagine the frustration Eion was feeling by the continued reddening of his face.
“I am glad.” He said, his mouth getting ahead of him again. “Whatever Waru has done or is doing has force you to finally open up. I know it wasn’t voluntary, but isn’t this part of being a team? We work together to solve problems. Support each other.”
The words spilling from Waru’s mouth were pure and Aelius found himself feeling for the man. So many times, Eion was forced to deal with hardships that no single person should have to deal with alone. Constantly the teams needs were placed before Eion’s. Eion always, always seemed to sacrifice his own happiness and needs. Maybe that was why Aelius had found the proposal between the two so jealousy inducing? Waru had been the one to finally break through that hard, shell-like exterior, not Aelius. It had hurt to accept.
But, listening to the pure love cascading from Waru’s mouth, it was unsurprising that he was the one to crack open that shell first. Waru was just so pure and real with his emotions and thoughts.
“Waru is right. You are going to accept our help. In all the time I’ve known you you’ve always been so closed off. Every time I’d reach out to help you you’d swat me away. And, let’s be honest, you supported my a** from the beginning. The bullshit I put you through…” He shook his head. “You help me for so long, it’s time you let me, us help you.”
He bit his lip, stopping himself from saying anymore, afraid what might come out of his mouth. He wasn’t drunk enough to deal with his own personal problems or thoughts being spurted willy-nilly. That was probably why Eion had downed his first glass so quickly. Aelius couldn’t blame him. As useful as this all was, it likely was incredibly uncomfortable for someone who locked everything up inside.
Aelius matched Eion’s need to down his drink, as his own quickly disappeared. Drunk would make this easier, and likely they’d figure something out before any of them were too far gone.
“That’s a good start.” Aelius agreed to Waru’s suggestions. “Maybe, for the time being, someone is with you when you go out?” He slid his glass towards Waru in askance for more. “Someone who could deal with you if things got out of hand.” A finger tapped on the table as he thought.He frowned. “I don’t want you to feel like you’re being babysat though, cause that’s not the intent.”
Another pause before, “How bad is it? Your need for starseeds."
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Posted: Mon Sep 12, 2022 2:12 pm
"Tell that to him," Eion quipped, glancing balefully at Aelius. He could only have taken that so far, knowing that he contributed with his jaunt into the Rift. Could he blame himself for needing space from the human world? Even if he couldn't, he deserved it.
Eion never talked about it, however. Seldom mentioned Heliodor's name, let alone Aelius's. Most of his current team didn't know that he had a former one, even if the former one only had Heliodor beneath him. The rest of his time had been spent with others telling him what to do, where to be, how to be. Aelius was his, and Faustite did his level damndest to shelter Heliodor from the brunt of Schörl's cruelty, and even then, the boy left him. He left the boy. They left each other.
It was a bitter waste, throwing that time away.
Eion huffed softly, even when he took up the alcohol offered to him. The wine tasted like s**t, but he never drank wine for the flavor, and didn't care much about an aftertaste. Didn't get an aftertaste out of it if he kept pounding it, chasing the last swallow with the next. Had every reason to keep with that idea, and drink himself into enough of a ******** up stupor that he didn't care what came out of his mouth anymore.
"Doesn't matter what I sacrificed," he said matter-of-factly as he shook his head. Mistake, he realized, for how the room started to swim. "People needed it. Part of being in charge, too. I think." He didn't actually know if it was, but that seemed correct. Weren't rulers supposed to sacrifice? Schörl didn't sacrifice any part of herself, but she certainly sacrificed other people.
But then came the pointed questions, the ones directed at his struggles. His condition. "You were there when I asked a Sovereign," he answered morosely. "Don't know why I would try Amazonite." He knew she had something to do with Celadonite becoming half-youma himself, but nothing more than that. As far as he had heard, her youmafication was relatively new compared with his. "And Kama — I depend on him too much. Don't do enough in return.
"Not sure what information I would need. What anyone knows beyond 'don't eat starseeds'. What else is there?" His voice cracked at the end, youthful tenor too strained under the stress of this increasingly unnatural conversation. "Don't know how anyone can help when it's my defect."
He pressed his lips together, then took a drink. Lifted the glass by the rim again, the surface of the alcohol lapping against his fingertips.
"Fine," he agreed to the pairing arrangement. Better that it wasn't a senshi, or was someone of equal rank to him. Someone who had the possibility of stopping him. "But I want distractions. Something to think about that isn't starseeds."
He shifted, pulling the blanket tighter about himself. Eion disliked all the questions being asked of him, but he loathed the very last of them. Loathed the way it broke up glass in his throat, for how even thinking of the answer reddened his eyes and loaded his lashes with unshed tears. "Starseeded my best friend," he admitted, and chewed his lip for how the first of a few short sobs broke out.
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Posted: Mon Sep 12, 2022 2:21 pm
Aelius was moving before he even realized it. Seeing his boy his boys’ cheek wet with tears was too much to bear. He couldn’t just sit there like a bump on a log and awkwardly try to ignore it. That wasn’t plausible. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d ever seen such a release of emotion for Eion. This was all needed. Every single bit of it.
Slipping onto the couch behind Eion, Aelius reached a foot out to nudge the coffee away, giving him room to slid h itself between Eion and the couch, adjusting his boy as needed until Eion’s blanketed back was against his chest, both legs on either side as arms wrapped around Eion.
No words were said, instead, Aelius just let Eion’s tears spill as he held him. A Kiss placed upon the head of dark locks.
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Posted: Mon Sep 12, 2022 8:01 pm
Finished Aelius job of shoving the table aside till it was lengthwise n at a different tilt giving them the space to curl, or lay, or...Saved the bottle of suspicious wine to the floor before them, because if a spill occurred at that point? Fine, ********, he'd clean it with his tongue, with his shirt, with his soul. Whatever bit of grace let this all continue -- whatever allowed Aelius to have what he should've, n Eion to take some small bit of solace in that. To the point where Eion's drink became his own, plucked the dripping rim from trembling fingers, n left the pair to curl, cocoon, as he sipped his husbands spiced liquor down...
He didn't want to have the words to think on how to disagree. Wanted to be too inebriated to snarl that Eion's statements were wrong. He was no more defective than he was derelict at his duties. If anything -- the flaw made him human -- the need for others made him people -- fallible, fragile, delicate. Everything he missed being. Sure as hell it made Waru love him all the more.
"So, it's bad." as if that wasn't already summed up so succinctly, as if it needed repeating. They had gone and asked and Waru knew the misstep as soon as it hit him upside the head the next day. They'd asked humans, and Kings, and people whose charges were armies over individuals. He knew better than to be surprised in the aftermath -- it was like asking a boss instead of a friend --- Eion'd survived it though. All that asking. Eion was there in the waking, living realm, alive, with them. Not holed up away in the Rift like before -- those doors to the hall stood as an escape without any real permanence, like a room with a lock to spend time behind, instead of an eternity.
Because Waru couldn't stand him being in the Rift longer than it took to tame a thing, to tamp it down under the barest links of will; more like dental floss than steel chains that all was...
He was foolish though, the bright n heady idea hatched by Aelius told him enough to know that. Lit a spark of realization, because ********> going it alone wouldn't do a damned thing! It couldn't just be himself, or just Yuuri, or just Lionel. It had to be everyone. What better way to break a thing than with a team? Then with enough distractions to keep a man busy every minute of every hour. They sure as ******** had enough people to do it. N if they balked? Well, maybe it was about time Waru started issuing some actual commands with purpose. He realized it would've been a delight to do for the right reason, knew deep down that no one on his team would mind, it'd be less an assertion of control and more a matter of making them aware there was a need to be attended. Something each and every one of them had a skill for.
With that in mind Waru watched the tears spill, shifted till he pulled away n sat before the pair, close enough to touch, to close the gap and hold -- but ******** if he didn't want them to have their space for this -- it was so long deserved -- and he wasn't about to be the wedge that levered it all sideways.
He would, however, always be a voice. Softly meandering on with piercing eyes full of red, rimmed with it, watching like he wished he could absorb the pair n keep them safe. Acting as if he whispered, maybe then it wouldn't disturb them.
"Ei....we'll keep you so damn distracted while we find the info you need, you can't possibly be the first to have been injured like this..what Amazonite doesn't know? She can look into for 'research' purposes. She's got some leverage there. N if you don't let Kama help you? He's going to murder me in my sleep -- If I'm gonna be strangled to death I want it to be at least a little kinky...Sunbeams got those swaths of cloth n he'd probably take me out that way before blinding my eyes outta my bleeding skull," because Kama had cursed him, begged 'why', had spilled words in languages Waru both did and didn't know. Yuuri deserved his boy too; for all his loyal, loving ways, for every bit of shy trepidation in which he'd followed Faustite to hell n back, everything that existed beyond Waru's knowing.
Not that he needed any insight on that. The fact that Kama woke up n the first thing he'd asked after was not his own life, but Eion's safety? His whereabouts? Waru'd done a disservice to him, n all the wine in the world didn't tell him how to go about repairing that...which kinda apology bricks to lay over what kinda badly poured mortar....
"N for all the questions I've still got of him, Aelius? Don't think you're left outta this. Of the two of you? You're the unknown that scares the s**t outta me."
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Posted: Tue Sep 13, 2022 3:13 am
Aelius dipped his head alongside Eion’s so his cheek rested against the side of the boys head. “I didn’t want to go, but I didn’t know what else to do.” He hugged Eion tighter. “You were gone and…” He hugged the boy tighter. “But I am back now. I am not going anywhere.” He promised and knew he meant it. The confliction he had been feeling had evaporated. “I am so sorry.”
Waru spoke and Aelius listened to the soft, kind words. The hushed voice was soothing to listen to and he offered the other a smile in approval as Waru rearranged the room to accommodate their needs. Thankfully the wine had been saved, cause he was damn sure that they were going to need every last drop. Mentally Aelius wondered if he had any more stashed to accompany what had already been consumed.
Maybe no wine, but there were definitely stronger choices sitting in the apartment.
“You’re problem isn’t a defect” he said gently. “We will do everything we can to help you. I can’t imagine ever expecting someone to shoulder everything for an entire team all by themselves.” He shifted his legs with the extra room, one curled around his boy while the other he left straight and to the side, allowing Waru room to move in closer if he wanted. “We will beat this. We will get you through it. If there’s one thing you have here is two thick-headed people who are going to do whatever it takes for you.” He smiled against Eion’s head. “You will likely be sick of us by the end of this.”
At Waru’s last statement, Aelius’s brows furrowed slightly. There was a lot that could be said about Aelius, but to state he was possibly a problem was…interesting. He definitely needed more wine.
“And your friend..” He was almost afraid to ask for fear of bringing more hurt to Eion. “You didn’t say he killed them. Are they alright now?” Had he managed to stop himself? That at least would bode well that self-restraint was still there, if fragile.
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Posted: Tue Sep 13, 2022 2:32 pm
Eion sniffed as he wiped tears with the heels of his hands, even as he felt Rowan — Aelius — settle against his back. The conversation exhausted him, pressed him for every truth he wanted to withhold and robbed him of the chance to choose what to tell. Aelius, Waru — they must've known how much he hated talking about himself. How he found his life to be nothing but a cesspool of misery before the start of their team. Better that all those years were left in silence, not dragged out into conversations like these.
"Hope it works," he muttered. Snorting back some of the escaped tearshe leaned back into Aelius. What a terrible, miserable feeling — this sullen, defeated thing that made home at the core of his body, where fire should've roiled and burned unending. "One slip and the damage is permanent."
He couldn't untake a life. Couldn't unchew a soul.
Eion's hand clasped the outside of Aelius's straightened thigh, content to loiter there until the other boy was tired of it. To feel breath on his neck roused goosebumps; seldom did he feel anything reach him beneath that iron collar. "Suppose senshi magic can last longer than minutes." His attention cast outward, toward Waru, landed on the ring that adorned his finger. He wondered — did Albite's magic affect someone so egregiously? Did Heliodor's? Alkmene's? Mizuki's?
"Alive, I think. Haven't been to see him since. Know I need to, but…" But how did he apologize to Kamacite after that? Sorry I almost murdered you, by the way your cactus is dead? Bring him an apology cake? Somehow get over this as a way to atone? What the ******** cleared the air after something like that?
"Wonder if I'm just hurting him by being his friend." He left the thought to sit and simmer.
"And Waru, don't frighten off any more boys."
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Posted: Wed Sep 14, 2022 6:12 am
Was it in him to relent, to ease back and admire the careful way the pair handled each other. A fragile winding of glass encased in steel that Waru didn’t want to pry apart for the sake of more —— ‘Who caused what, where, when, how? At which point did you start eating them. *By who’s hand so I can rip it off*. What fixed it last time?’ - ‘Did Aelius leave before or after he tried to off himsss—‘ Waru hissed like he’d tasted something bitter, scrubbing his free hand over his face n through tangled locs like it’d quiet the endless internal monologue of asks he hadn’t needed to care about until now.
Until today. When his caring was paramount to their survival, he couldn’t bear to risk the worse case scenarios that came with his lack of knowledge anymore, to lose Eion for it.
It was hellish. He was tired. Drank to drown the words till they gurgled in death and then the only bit of sour was that oddly spiced aftertaste n the glare of the softly lit room. The way the pair took on edges that weren’t fuzzy simply because Eion was crying enough tears to fill years of jars…
N — oh — he had to help with that, didn’t he? To encroach close enough to help by swiping some of the sadness he’d caused free from Eions cheeks with a rough thumb, offering a kiss like an apology; wet, salty thing stained with wine.
Every word out of Aelius mouth acted as fresh balm on every frayed nerve Waru hadn't thought to acknowledge having, whether or not his beloved took solace in hearing it? He sure as hell needed to. Waru did. The same way he found hope in Lio, n Haru, n -- he worried so much sometimes -- and Aelius could help ease that too!!
Wouldn't press Faustite on finding time to heal faster or slower than he was ready. Chances were Yuuri would seek him out if he really needed to….that Kamacite had braved their friendship years before and after…a little grazing of the soul wouldn’t deter him now. No matter how close a call. Waru would never defame the sunbeam by speaking doubt.
He was just nosy. Liked to imagine intervening on one end..if not the other...but only if it all dragged on too long.
“Chhh, it’ll work Ei’,” and maybe it was alright to steal one more kiss beneath the curl of threadbare gray folds, to try for a promise instead of an apology, “have a little faith in us if you don’t have any in yourself. Kay? We’ve got you.” that they weren’t letting go went unspoken. Aelius had said it all so perfectly.
It was only more proof to Waru that Aelius was necessary. Right. He cast the pair a sly look for Eions dig about him chasing off boys; liked that line of playing far better than all the sorrow no matter how badly needed those precious moments of vulnerability were.
"See, that's the real secret -- m'actually the scary one -- n Eion's a toasty little marshmallow..." and finally he stole the space they left empty for him, sidled close as he could while finding Eions ringed hand to messily wind his own with, squeezing what he caught, even as he did his best to snake the pair closer still n steal their heat, "Or am I chocolate? Hmn, no, we're gram-crackers, Aelius. You're still the marshmallow, Ei."
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Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2022 7:36 pm
Aelius’s focuse momentarily slipped to the hand making it’s home on his thigh. He smiled, leaning his own head against Elex’s. “Believe us, we are going to make sure we get you through all of this.” He shifted ever so slightly, loosening his hold on his boy to allow Eion the ability to extricate himself should he want to. For the time being though, he was happy to let his arms stay wrapped around the boys waist, his right thumb slowly drawing small circles on Eions waist.
“As for Kamacite, I can’t say I know him well, but, perhaps you should let him make the decision if he still wants to be friends.” As Waru moved in closer, taking his husbands hand and placing feather-soft kisses on Eion. Encouragement and reinforcement to their words. Eion was truly getting the love he had deserved for so long. “An apology is certainly needed though, and the sooner it happens the better. Don’t let the guilt of what happened hang over your head, especially if Kamacite is willing to forgive you.”
He chuckled softly at the mention of chasing off boys. “Does Waru have a track record for scaring boys away?” He eye’d the other man jovially. “I mean, he can be scary if he wants to be, but you don’t have to worry about me. After everything we’ve been through it would take more than Waru to scare me off.” And that was the truth. As much as he’d been trying to convince himself that this, he and Eion couldn’t be a thing, he had remained hung up on it. Jealousy, anger, and every other damn emotions had made it abundantly clear his feelings but Aelius had done his damn best to ignore or rationalize otherwise.
Eyeing the bottle of wine that Waru had managed to save from their table manipulations, Aelius leaned over to grab the neck of it. A glass seemed like too much trouble at that point. Drinking straight from the source was easier. The liquid had an even heavier spice taste coming straight form the bottle, but it didn’t much matter. After taking his swig, he offered the bottle to Eion.
“Hmmm…that seems appropriate.” He remarked. “Eion is the reason we have all ended up here like this, after all.” He grinned. “I like the idea of Eion in the middle.”
Oooooookay, perhaps he had best keep his mouth shut for the time being. That was a little too freely spoken aloud. He cleared his throat. Surely he wasn’t that drunk already? Oh right. Eion had seemed dead set on Waru having done something.
“So, Waru, care to enlighten us to what you did tonight?”
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Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2022 4:21 pm
As if there was ever a time when stealing another kiss was unacceptable. Each featherlight brush of lips was matched with equal fervor from Eion, who tugged at Waru's hand when the boy pulled away just enough to give him room. Eion didn't want room, didn't want personal space, didn't want separation for the sake of autonomy. If his boys were offering to bury him in their affections, then he wanted only to be buried as thoroughly as they could manage.
And that meant entwining his hand in his husband's, thin fingers gripping staunchly, while he remained pressed against Aelius. "Okay," he admitted finally.
Though Waru's comments earned Eion's half-lidded ire once called a toasty marshmallow. "What the ********," came his response, and Eion removed his hand from Aelius's thigh to cover Waru's black hole of a mouth. Whether Waru thought he was some toasted treat, or some gooey, pliant thing, Eion didn't know, but he didn't much like the sound of the analogy he was drawing out of that vacuum of a brainpan. And if Aelius went along with it? Of course Aelius went along with it —
"Not you too," Eion sighed.
"Waru doesn't have a track record of anything but running his mouth and being obtuse." Eion's glare shifted back to the boy in question. "Should I appraise yours, too?" The boys were getting out of hand.
Especially with all this nonsense of him being in the middle. He had a feeling they weren't simply referring to their current arrangement, either. "Piss off, both of you." Not that he would be letting either of them go, but if they continued to have ideas —
Eion shifted, and balanced his feet on Waru's lap. "Husband goes in the middle. Easier to shut him up that way."
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Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2022 12:46 pm
The hand that sought to muffle got the wettest of kisses, a smile full of teeth pressed just close enough to nibble the length of bony digit and shallow palm. Waru couldn't complain with his head empty and mouth full, that was a surety,
"That's a ******** lie, m'never easy to shut up....oh-hnmnn..nless I'm in that kindufamiddle? N then, maybe, yeah....I can se me being quiet for *that*," his mind was a terrible place to be, around every serious wall there lay some pitfall full of inuendo n image of men on fire and women made of starlight begging his attentions. He just couldn't help it, being an angle he couldn't name n spouting off randomness brassy enough to derail any sensible tangent he wanted to tentatively hold.
"Get'em Ei', appraise his angles from deep within. Like the real delicious filling we know you can be....Heh, the center of a molten chocolate lava cake..." and he was absolutely drunk now, gave Aelius a hooded side-eye full of knowing, full of agreement; even as he shuffled to fit where he was moved. Thinking their arrangement would've worked best if he had more hands, more laps..
More of everything.
Waru let his caught fingers be the gentle vice entwined with Eion's, not a bit ready to let go; shoved his free arm behind the small of Aelius back and curled thick fingers around the jut of a hip. If he was closer he could lean in to nuzzle Eion more firmly without dislodging him from his comfortable seat between his first boys legs; could find that cursing mouth n silence the curl of a frown threatening it's corners with a more firm kiss.
Aelius deserved to hold him casually, forever, to have n hold him in equal measure. Waru wasn't about to dislodge that for all the world.
"I spent my night wrapping up the better part of a month fulla thinking -- back of my mind shit -- About what I'd ever do if I lost any of you, because I couldn't tell you needed help. M's**t at it, sometimes. Though I try, I really do -- n'making either ah you ask is a work'n progress kinda endeavor. M'not gonna break you into it roughly...."
People cornered were so like Rats, bore claws n fangs that chewed not only through loose limbs but also concrete n electric wires -- Wary wasn't ready to make himself a spearpoint out of sheer desperation, n aim it in their direction. Not when there were easier outs.
"Not when we can just get drunk n see what comes of it! You guys wouldn't believe what sorta s**t the youma dig up sometimes? Boxes fulla herbs n bits of baubles from ******** knows how long ago......" Waru hummed simply, still surprised how well the wine'd come out. It was excitingly unexpected. He wasn't sure if it was the herbs or fruit that'd helped it ferment so swiftly from when he'd started on his endeavor mid-house-work while playing with some of the more layabout ferals that shifted through their piecemeal home.
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Posted: Fri Oct 07, 2022 2:42 am
“Appraising our lips, you say? I don't think there will be any complaints for us.” It was clear with the way the conversation was turning how interested all of them were. They grew close, Waru sidling in as close as he could, a hand chuffing to Aelius’s hip and Eion incredibly content where he was. If anyone walked in now they may have to pause to decipher which limb belonged to who at first glance.
Aelius took another swig of the wine as kisses were placed. Like Waru, the wine was doing its job and Aelius wasn't going to fight the warm fuzziness the alchohol brought. “Wait…you gave us something from a youma?” He surely didn't hear that right? Surely the wine had muddled that. “I definitely didn't hear that right. You know what, I don't want to know. Don't want to ruin this.” And by ‘this’ it was left up to his visitors to decide if he meant the effects of their drink or the puddle of beings they had become.
The hand that had laid casually across Eion's lap shifted. A thumb that had. Been making lazy circles spoon shifted upwards and under the shirt hem, finding the precious warm skin there to continue it’s gentle exploration lackadaisically.
“This is all I ever wanted you know.” He said softly, nuzzling his face into the side of Eion's. “Never thought it would…could happen.” With lips impossible to snag without wrenching the boys head back or around, Aelius instead placed a gentle kiss behind Eion's ear, then ear lobe.
“We will take care of you cause you can be damned sure I have no intentions of loosing you again.” A n** at Eion's earlobe followed the declaration as golden eyes looked to Waru.
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Posted: Fri Oct 14, 2022 3:35 pm
Eion never made a habit of looking like he needed help, or asking for help. He was a General; he'd been one for years. He was supposed to handle his s**t. Needing someone, even Waru, to handle it for him felt invalidating. Left him feeling like his rank was unearned.
But he had to acknowledge that he was youmafied at fifteen. Forced to grow up thereafter, with an abrupt end to any guidance or support that his family would have provided him. He was then thrust full-time into the Negaverse, had to spend his days working for them and his nights relying on the Negaverse for his most basic necessities. None of that included friends. None of that included finding someone like him, with whom he might make friends. There were no others like him. There would never be, even if a thousand more half-youma made it into their ranks.
Moments like these were rediscoveries of all the times he'd lost, between then and now. Six years, and he was now tasting the relationships he could've been building during all that time. It was saccharine, much like the two boys who held him.
That Waru would dig up some youma's treasures and slip it to them on the sly must have been egregious, if he went by Aelius's reaction. And even if it was, Eion found all the effort behind it terribly endearing. "Whatever," he chided, but he couldn't help his smile. "Whatever —" And his words were smothered again.
All the affection dizzied him, and Eion chuckled lightly when he was free enough to speak again. "Ask next time." His smile turned promising as he reached back blindly, fingers traipsing down the bridge of Aelius's nose.
He had a thousand thank-yous to pay to Waru for this. Never would he have imagined they could finish their discussion so amicably, despite whatever Rift-dredged nonsense Waru dropped into the drink beforehand. He was sure the two of them would forget as their night progressed. And if Aelius's mind kept wandering back to it? They'd simply have to distract him all the more.
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