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Posted: Mon Jan 04, 2021 6:05 am
Delivery suddenly didn't seem so bad when there was a house full of people. He'd been anxious to let anyone on the doorstep, just in case someone came to hurt Sterling. But now? It wasn't just him, here. It was Karone, and Yu, too. And Ilya and Soleiyu, if fate would have it.
It felt like a weight slid from his shoulders. If someone was still trying to threaten them, they had numbers here.
He was torn between wanting Yu's food and just wanting to keep him close, but he wasn't going to smother Yu. He wanted to just hold him, to assure him, to love him.
But Yu thrived in the kitchen. He wanted him to feel at home, and he knew that was the safest place for Yu.
"What were you doing with Ilya?" he asked, seeming a bit surprised. He checked his phone, but there was no text from him that he'd found him, and--
Well, why would Ilya be keeping secrets, then?
Yu was powered at Ilya's house.
He exhaled, and figured there was a good reason. There was paranoia, concern, lurking in the back of his mind, but this situation was complicated and he didn't have all of the information. Yet.
"Please stay, Karone. We'll figure something out. We've got clean bedsheets. But I'd feel better with you here. Yu, you being here is a gift in itself. Every meal you cook is a gift. Whatever it is, we'll love them. I hope you don't think mine is silly. I hope I didn't get it wrong." He could have gone off on it, worrying about it, but instead he just smiled.
"Let me text Ilya and Soleiyu. I've been in contact with both of them, if someone's spying on us, I'll make sure everything looks normal. I don't want any surprises from here on out."
He withdrew from the embrace to text but lingered, just because he didn't want to be away from them for long.
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Posted: Tue Jan 05, 2021 2:40 pm
Karone hesitated but nodded. “...Honestly, anything would be better than my couch, ah...I can seriously stay?” She felt...very warm and gave a smile, trying to hide the small bit of uncertainty that filled her. “Yeah, sure. I’d love that. I’ll stay in your bed, Yu. Even if we have to cuddle.”
Giving a little laugh, she walked out of the kitchen, going to look for Oreo. Honestly, she hadn’t expected such an offer...and idly wondered how long the offer would stand. Would...this become her home? Evan had also offered her one so…
Regardless, she was covered.
...God that felt nice.Sterling snorted and took Yu’s hand, squeezing it. “Bunk with someone else? I hope you mean you’re going to spend the night in the middle of a Sterling and Priam sandwich, and that’s how it’s going to be for a good long while...it’s been awful sleeping without you, and obviously...obviously I need sleep in order to feel better, ah, Priam. Before you call them, let’s go get your present, then we can deal with the house being full of people.”
Not that it would be a bad thing, in fact...it sounded really nice.
“I’m going to need you to open that closet that’s across from your room, okay? The present is in there, and I think that you’ll like it.”
He hoped that Priam would like it. There were almost a hundred books in the little library, and he had worked so hard, refinishing the shelving and having it put in...it was wonderful.
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Posted: Tue Jan 05, 2021 3:30 pm
“I…I mean, if I can’t cook tonight and I’m shitty enough not to have a Christmas gift, I can at least share my bed. I’m sorry it’s kinda s**t like I said but…” He was going to have to figure out getting more fabric if things worked out, clearly, she was going to need a blanket too. He took a breath and let out a shaking laugh. “I… don’t think I could argue against being, part of a sandwich right now. I… I missed, I missed you all, I just… thought.” He took a breath and let it out shaking. They knew what he thought. “I… am gonna grab your gifts and tell Ilya where I uh… vanished to. I … might have stopped there because I thought maybe he was the best bet for who could get my files. But um… turns out he got hit too.” He added and hastily started towards his room where he could fetch the blankets from his closet. “A…Also he uh… has my… clothes, I'm kind of wearing some of his spare things,” he added.
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Posted: Tue Jan 05, 2021 4:47 pm
Priam didn't want to split up, even if it was just for a moment. Even if it was just to get his gift for Yu. He looked at the group for just a moment longer and then nodded, determined to go fast.
He was afraid if he let them out of his sight, something bad might happen.
"It'll be all right," he assured. "We'll have him come over. We can always do it under the guise of taking the dogs out and he can bring your clothes over--but you have plenty here. I'm--I'm just glad he was able to look after you. I can't wait to hold you tonight. I'll be back, soon," he promised.
When he went to fetch what he thought would be just a small present, he opened the room--the room Sterling had told him to avoid, and Priam hadn't asked why but simply complied.
And now he could see why. He opened the door and was hit with such surprise that he didn't really know what to make of it. A little room that he couldn't understand what it had been before Sterling had worked on it--nor did he understand when--with more books than his eyes could glance over.
He wanted to pluck them off the shelves, wanted to read each and every one of them and--oh.
Oh, some of them recognized.
Priam had not mourned his house, or the loss of his material possession much, if only because there was always too much more to go on. He entered the room with timid steps, fingers reaching to glide over the spines of books he recognized.
Books he knew.
Books he thought had gone up in flames.
He wondered how long Yu and Sterling had been stealing his books, if they had meant to find some way to make him fall in love with this house. It wasn't his little fairy tale cottage, not like he'd dreamed of, but something out this was different. It was intimate.
In all that they had done for him, they had taken his treasures and hidden them away, saved, them, and encased them in this little room.
He couldn't cry, he couldn't go back to them with misty eyes. He'd shed his emotions, process them, in the steaming hot waters of the shower later tonight when he didn't have to worry about looking like a sap.
He wanted to stay in the room almost as much as he wanted to grab Yu's present, but his need to see Yu smiled outweighed the desire to admire every book in this new room. From his closet, he pulled out a neatly wrapped gift, in shiny black wrapping paper and silver ribbons and bows. There were strips of red ribbon, curled slightly, because he had to make it look a little like Christmas. The second box was much smaller, and for Sterling, wrapped with a subtle iridescent write wrapping paper, and silver ribbons and bow.
He returned to the kitchen quickly and nearly threw himself at Sterling just to kiss his cheek. "It's beautiful, I love it. Here, this is yours. I would have redone your bathroom for you if I'd known you were going so big." He handed the small box to him where, neatly wrapped inside, was a carefully assembled bracelet.
He'd spent a lot of time on his Wonder of late, healing, and in one of the cool pools of water he'd sat by, there were an array of what Priam might have guess to be pearls, were it not for their pastel, iridescent gleam. Naturally, he'd thought of Sterling, and now they'd been carefully drilled, carefully wrapped in gold, in the form of a bracelet. There was one large gem attached in the center of the bracelet, and it looked like an opal--only, when the light hit it just right, it seemed to reflect little stars.
It was set on a flat gold back, and the back was carved to read, 'You are loved. Everything will be all right.'
Sterling could buy anything he wanted, probably. Priam had to get creative. He just hoped it was enough.
For Yu, he had spent time thinking about what he might need, what he'd want, what he could use. In the end, Priam thought that he wanted something to remind him that he was always loved, and something that would protect him, too.
He had picked a black jacket that screamed 'Yu' to him. It wasn't just the edgy style that drew him to it, it was the fact that it was leather, and the fact that it had a second layer of extra dense fabric marketed as slash resistant, he hoped it would help protect him. But the jacket alone wasn't enough; inside, discreetly sewn into the fabric lining, just over the left breast, was a small, heart shaped patch. In it, 'You are loved', and two little golden stars which, now that Priam thought about it, was probably a dead giveaway that they were Cosmos Knights, but it was too late to take it back--and the sentiment still stood, regardless.
He waited for Yu to return, ready to pass him his box.
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Posted: Tue Jan 05, 2021 7:20 pm
Sterling had to stifle a laugh, his nerves obviously more than a little frayed, but he simply shook his head and gave a gentle tease. “Now who’s the one we should be worried about Ilya stealing? You’re in his clothes? I thought you looked less wrinkled than usual.” He followed Priam, wanting to see his expression when he opened the closet.
It was everything that he could have hoped for, and Sterling was so glad that the house had come with a closet that big. It was...so good to see Priam’s face light up.
He hurried back to the kitchen after, a smile on his face, and the smile only growing when Priam came and kissed his cheek. “I’m so glad you liked it. I...I love you so much, Priam. I just wanted this to be home. For the both of you. I know I went a little big but...it’s our home. Not just my house. And I think that...really...I mean...that means something special to me.”
Opening his gift, Sterling let out a soft gasp, his eyes softening, his lips trembling as he read the message on the back of the main pendant. “Oh...oh Priam...” With trembling fingers, he put the bracelet on, gazing at it fondly.
“This is so beautiful, my love...my heart. Thank you.”
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Posted: Tue Jan 05, 2021 7:49 pm
Yu came wandering back in, with…. the sheets from his bed. Clearly, they were hiding things, but he hadn’t had the chance to wrap them, as he’d been too busy - he reminded himself- being an idiot. “Umm… The… top one is Priam’s and the bottom one is Sterling, and um… yeah. It… started as something else and they - well, I kinda sucked at that, and then I … was trying to make them without…spending as much and I’m not at all sure that worked and I’m sorry. But I hope to…you like them.” He stammered waiting for them to take the bundles before being able to take the black box all silver and red from Priam. it had -weight to it, which surprised him, his arm dipping under the box. He wasn’t sure what he expected but… He carefully pulled away from the ribbons and picked the tape away almost afraid to damage the paper or the pretty ribbons. He thought his jaw was going to crack off the floor when he saw the gift. The oven…and THIS. He could barely process the idea of it. “I… It’s… god damn, that’s …” He stammered. It was the coolest jacket, he had ever seen. He picked it up with shaking hands to really feel it before immediately pulling it over his shoulders and pressing his nose into the leather to breathe in the smell of it. It wasn’t even used, it just smelled like fresh leather and a touch of Priam. “You guys….” He said almost in a whisper. He pulled it open to investigate it for inside pockets, and found the heart, and the two little stars, and felt again like he couldn’t breathe. The flush spreading from his ears to his cheeks. “I… really, don’t deserve you guys.” He whispered before dragging them both into a hug again.
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Posted: Wed Jan 06, 2021 6:29 am
Priam was glowing, just flushed with happiness. He had worried, at first, because his gift for Sterling was small. And yet, he had hoped it would give him some strength and comfort, and a private message he could carry when he needed a reminder most.
For Yu, it was the same. Yu, who had to work hard so the world knew not to mess with him, while the world was perpetually messing with him.
The presents wrapped in sheets were endearing, and Priam loved the gift even before it was in his hands. Yu could have given him a sheet of paper that said 'I like you' and he would have had it custom framed and hung in his room so he could see it first thing in the morning.
He didn't have a chance to unwrap it before Yu was hugging him, and Priam knew that Yu could have given him nothing at all and this would have been enough. The expression on his face, the sincerity of it.
It was enough. Priam still wanted to cry. A part of him missed the privacy of his house, where he could roll into the back of the house and drink and cry until he didn't have anything left.
But, he wouldn't have traded this for anything.
"I have never been so happy in my life, as when I'm with the two of you." He kissed Yu's temple, and Sterling's, and said softly, "I felt like I didn't deserve to be a part of what you two had. But I trusted the worth you gave me, and I hope you two will trust the worth I see in you. You are priceless treasures, and I hold you dear to my heart. I would do anything for you two."
He lingered in the hug, but curiosity finally won him over and he peeled the sheets off of the gift Yu had presented. He didn't immediately know what it was, but he loved it. His fingers grazed over the softness and it registered that it was a blanket after only a second, but his mind caught on Yu's previous words. "--You made this?" he blurted. "Really? When did you have the time? I didn't know you could do this, Yu. Oh, this is wonderful, I love it." Astounded, and adoring, he kissed Yu's cheek again. He couldn't break the smile on his face, and he knew he must look silly but he hadn't been so happy in so long.
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Posted: Wed Jan 06, 2021 8:00 am
Sterling picked up Yu’s gift and held it close, giving a smile and then moving to hug the both of them, sighing softly. “Yeah yeah. We get it. We all think that we don’t deserve each other, and we know that...that we’re the happiest when we’re with each other...I think...and this is from you know. My vast reservoir of knowledge and my future profession.” He took a moment to wrap the blanket around himself, sighing at how good it felt to have Yu’s gift around his shoulders and Priam’s around his wrists.
“...But, maybe if we all acknowledge that we’re happiest when we’re together...we should work on saying that more often, rather than saying that we don’t deserve this happiness...You know...so um. Misunderstandings like this don’t happen ah...often. Or um. Ever.”
Ever again, at least. But...this was...this was wonderful.
“I love you both, I am also the happiest when I’m with you...and um. Merry Christmas, my hearts. My um…” He flushed after a moment and kissed Yu’s lips lightly, and then Priam’s. “My soul mates. You are my everything.”
He was still tired, still a little shaken...but that would go away. It would all heal. They would all heal. So long as they were together.
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Posted: Wed Jan 06, 2021 8:39 am
“I’ll do... better.” He promised. “I... I’m sorry. I panicked. I thought-“ he faltered. “We can...talk more. Maybe not today, after we deal with, the person doing all this to us, besides it-... it’s ... late Christmas.” He glanced at the blankets at the mention of time. “Um... normally after work, it was supposed to be - well the original plans didn’t work out, I’m really bad with needles so I made the cloth into tubes and sort of knit on my arms.” He admitted. “I closed the door so you wouldn’t see and it looked pretty goofy I’m sure.” “I... think they might still smell like dog.” He admitted ducking his head.” “I love you all, so much. Y-you too Karone, different way but... I never thought I’d have this. I thought it was a miracle I had a job I cared about for more than cash. It’s just... amazing. You even seem to like my stupid blankets.” He laughed. “I wanted to give you something warm.”
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Posted: Wed Jan 06, 2021 9:25 am
Priam just laughed softly, and it was too easy to imagine Yu working so hard, using his arms. "If you make more, you can do it with the door open," he encouraged. "...Unless you're trying to keep the dogs out, but I'm sure you know that I will always smell like dog. But now that I can function again, I promise they'll get more baths."
Yu and Sterling had never complained about the dogs, but he didn't want to give them a reason to start.
They'd been kind enough even when they were barking like maniacs, though, so he wondered if they'd even tell him if something was wrong.
"Merry Christmas," he said, and managed to give Karone an appreciative look as he embraced them once more. "Maybe next year will be kinder to our family. But whatever happens, let's stick together through it, all right? We're better, and stronger, together."
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