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Noah followed, his previously silent tears now joined by heavy breathing and little sniffles. Oh, God, it was really happening.

Veli bit his lip, moving to hug Noah. Awwww...

"So, you want an explanation of what we're gonna do, or just do it?" The woman asked, screwing together various things, getting out candles... It looked to be kinda hippieish, actually.

"Just do it," Noah said, picking Veli up and carrying him up the few steps, placing him in the bathtub gently.

"I don't want to change my mind."

"All right. It'll probably be best if you stay sitting." The woman said, carefully moving around Veli and spreading a circle of sand around him. She lit the candles and what appeared the be inscence and handed him a little bottle of a clear, greenish tinted liquid. He drank it and waited, looking worried. The woman kept humming, setting things up.

"....Aaahn-!" Veli's eyes went wide, his hands scrabbled at the bathtub floor.

"The pain's normal. It won't last too long." The woman stood, shutting the door and looping a necklace with a shell attached to it around Noah's neck.

Noah looked horrified. He held his arms out and grabbed Veli's shoulders, not sure just how much contact they should be making.

"You can touch him, just don't break the sand."

The woman watched, carefully adjusting the burning sticks and the instruments, looking serious and, thankfully, not malevolent.

Veli just kept clawing at the floor, mouth open wide in a silent scream, tears pouring down his face. Oh, God, it hurt so bad...!

The tears started to mist off of his face, being drawn towards the shell on Noah's neck.

And Noah knelt outside of the circle, pulling Veli's upper half to him, squeezing and touching their foreheads together. Noah cried hard, only, loudly. Not only was he halving his lover's life, it was hurting him to do as such.

And Veli kept crying, trying not to reach out and grab him and possibly break things. Oh God, it hurt, it hurt so bad-!

The woman was watching carefully, and when the tears stopped misting she reached out and grabbed the necklace back, snapping the flimsy chain easily and smashing the shell on the ground, at the same time breaking the sand circle.

And it stopped hurting. Veli made a little confused noise, blinking. Hnnn?

Noah, however, refused to move. His face was twisted in mortal agony. He was terrified, he was hysterical, he was devastated...and he was grinning.

"S'it...?"

"It's done. You did well." The woman smiled. "Now, you're going to feel a bit weak for a while, shouldn't last more than a few days at most. Just take it easy and you'll be fine."

Yay, not messing up!

Noah just picked Veli up, still sobbing and keeping his eye on the man at all times. He stepped from the tub, began down the steps, passed the woman, and headed for the bedroom, where he laid Veli upon the sheets. Oh, God...

And poor Veli was about boneless. The pain was gone. He felt kind of... Numb. Not in a bad way. Just numb. It took a few tries, but he managed to make his hand move and caress Noah's arm.

"You okay, No'?" He asked softly.

Noah collapsed beside his love with a muffled 'unf'.

"I will be."

Ah, Veli felt proud and oddly stated. He'd done it! Made it so his Noah wouldn't have to leave. Take that, human mortality!

"Sorry." He said again, giving a little smile at his Nono. Veli looked tired.

Noah just shook his head.

"Rest, suga'. You'll need it. I'll take care'a you." But who would take care of him?

Eggs. A whole shitload of eggs. Noah scrambled 5 before bringing them in to Veli.

"Anything else?"

Veli smiled, propping himself up.

"No... This is good. You're so good to me, Noah."

Noah shrugged.

"You sure you don' wanna drink?"

"Mmmm... I'm fine." He didn't wanna be a bother. Mmm, Eggs, tasty and full of breakfasty goodness~

"Are you busy?"

"Only with keeping you happy."

The irate Spaniard's voice in the other room would like to argue.

He went out into the kitchen, and returned with a glass of juice.

Ah, happy Veli was happy. He smiled, reaching up to squeeze Noah's arm.

"You're too good to me."

Noah shook his head.

"Just good enough. Now eat before you pass out again."

And his happy man did, nomming quite a bit of his eggs and juice before his head started nodding forward. His fork rested on his plate. And Veli was out again!

And Noah took the remaining food to keep warm in the oven. Only then did he return to his Spaniard.

"Lo siento mucho senor, mi esposa esta muy enferma..."

The random naps and feedings kept up for about two days, and then Veli was finally back to sleeping normal. He still looked tired, but was able to get around normal.

"Do we have any pickles?" He asked, looking in the fridge.

"Probably," Noah shrugged. For the first time in hours, he wasn't working.

Veli found the pickles and brought the jar to the table, spilling a few out onto a plate and nomming. Mmm. He watched Noah, looking happy. Yaaay, Noah~

Noah was about ready to take a surprise nap himself. He lay half-curled on the couch, one arm folded up under his head.

Veli padded over to him, leaning down to kiss his forehead. He smiled and plopped on the ground, watching him with a happy, adoring look. Yay, noah~

Noah reached down and pet Veli's hair, smiling softly.

"I'm glad you're feeling better."

Know no no...teehee.

"Like what, suga'?"

"Like what you gotta expect from life from here on in." Veli stroked Noah's arm with the back of one fist, eyes closed.

Noah nodded.

"Alright. Go ahead." He caressed Veli's cheek and turned his head toward him, trying to get his man to make eye contact.

Veli sighed, still looking down. Oh, ******** course, your life will be longer. And as long as I keep up with my ritual, you should have the same health benefits I have. Yenno, quick healing, not getting sick, stuff like that. But, for anything else, it's a wait and see kind of game. Some have been able to feel what the other was doing, if they were in pain, things like that. It seems to differ from person to person. And it'll keep on working, 'slong as you go by the rules."

Noah cringed slightly. That was some weirdass twin s**t, right there.

"And what're the rules?"

Oh, no... Noah was mad... Veli wriggled his toes inside his shoes and kept looking down.

"Honestly, there's only one rule that has to be followed. Don't sleep with other people. You can flirt around and get happy endings, though I'd rather do that for you. But if you sleep around, well... I suppose we'd be at the point where the consequences wouldn't matter."

And Noah just smiled, playing with Veli's hair.

"I'd never do that to you."

Veli looked up after a moment or two and smiled. "I know. And I'll never do that to you." Veli snuggled against him. Mmm, warm man. "We're going to be together a long time, my Noah."

"Just how long, my Veli?" Noah asked, lying back with a Veli on his chest.

Veli sighed and snuggled. Ah, the big question.

"Well... Probably about two hundred... Two fifty, probably."

Noah's eyes went wide. He swallowed audibly. There was a long, long stretch of silence, and then:

"...wow."

"I'm sorry." Veli nuzzled carefully. Awww, poor Noah...

"Nn--s'just...wow..." Noah mused. The poor man was speechless. In awe, not quite angry, and speechless.

"Because I'm a halfbreed, my lifespan is shorter than the average merman." Veli said, curling up tighter. Awww, he'd made Noah angry...

"Nn, s'okay, just a whole lotta years for the likes'a me," Noah sighed, playing with Veli's hair again.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Noah snorted, "Just for that, I'm getting revenge sex...when we're not both dying."

"As long as it's with me." Veli grinned, kissing. "You know I'll do anything for you with great enthusiasm."

Noah laughed. Hard.

"I'll take that as a promise!"

"Mmmm, Baby. S'more than a promise." Veli grinned and smooched him. "S'a vow."

Noah smiled, kissing his Veli gently.

"I love you."

His Veli just smiled, nuzzling.

"I love you too, My Noah. Always, forever."

Hmm...Noah seemed to have fallen asleeps!

Veli hummed lightly, nuzzling and loving. Fwee, Noah.