It wasn't exactly that Ever had a lot of stuff: he'd never been one to focus on the importance of things, or maybe he'd just been so broke for so long that he'd never gotten used to being able to own things. All his stuff, once upon a time, had fit into one messenger bag. Now it was a messenger bag, a duffel bag, and the computer case.

He'd gotten them from the portal just fine -- or, well, with a struggle, but fine enough. The door to the dorms had been a challenge met with some cursing and frustration, but eventually he kicked it open and dragged everything in deeper.

To the bottom of the stairs. Where he hit a wall.

It was only one flight. He stood at the bottom of it staring up for a very long time, bags at his feet, trying to figure out how he would carry three things with only one hand, before he gave up.

The text to Zeke was meant to read: Can you come help me, in the stairwell?

Instead it came out: help n stairrs

Thus far, Ever had not mastered one-handed typing.



It wasn't just that any text from Ever was generally unexpected, but this one was even more breif than usual, and seemed to be a request for aid. Zeke had glanced at it, frowned, typed out a question as to whether he'd texted the wrong person, and finally just stood up and headed out of his room, lips pressed in a thoughtful, albeit skeptical expression.

He had fully expected the stairwell to be empty. Ever was supposed to be in Europe, and though their correspondence had been sparse, it had been continual, and the other hunter had mentioned nothing about returning home.

He hadn't the last time he'd been away, either.

So, needless to say, he was a bit shocked--and boy did it show--when he turned the corner to find Ever standing there, bags at his feet, phone in his hand. "Uh hi," he started, before a flicker of that old smile returned. "Someone called for assistance?"



Ever looked up at that, eyebrows raised -- and he looked, more or less, the same. His hair a little longer but no less rumpled, the clothes a bit beat and meant more for comfort than for their style. Around one wrist rattled the gift Zeke had given him not too long before he left. Around the other, a plaster cast: faded teal over white, from the second knuckle of his hand and up his forearm.

"Just going to stand there, or are you going to grab the bags?" Demanding, but it was dry, an edge of something teasing behind it.



There was only a slight pause before pale eyes dipped to the fading cast on Ever's wrist, and the smile that was creeping dangerously close to a leer twitched, fading just a touch at the edges. "Broke the cuff, huh." There would be more questions, but later, after Ever had gotten settled back in at the very least.

Instead he went for the bag, messanger bag strap going over his shoulder, duffle under the opposite arm, and computer case in his left hand. With the other he gestured up the stairs. "How was England?"
[8:26 PM] periwinkelle: "Greece was really interesting." He grinned back at Zeke, letting him carry the lot of it -- his own free hand sliding into his pocket. The cast, unfortunately, hung somewhat limp at his side. It was an old injury, at this point, familiar enough that he didn't even really think about it. "Up?"



"Always wanted to go to Greece." It just hadn't been a priority, yet.

Slipping past Ever, Zeke led the way up to the second floor, though he'd have to pause at room 204. The spare key he had was back downstairs, safely tucked away in one of his desk drawers. It'd been a while since he'd needed it. Ever's room was larger, but without the Life hunter in it, Zeke had no real desire to linger there.



"Ah, damn. Give me the computer bag?" Ever gestured, loosely, for Zeke to hand it over -- and he could take it in his good hand, sweep it over his shoulder, to rifle around awkwardly in search of his keys. Naturally, they were at the bottom: it took him a moment to fish them out and then to shoulder the door open.



He handed it over wordlessly, looking slightly bemused as he watched Ever fishing around within for his keys. Somethings just didn't change.

"Didn't do much shopping while you were over seas," he observed rather matter-of-factly, dropping the duffel bag on the floor beside the desk that hadn't been there before Ever had left. The messenger bag was placed on top of it. "If anything, these feel lighter."



"We finished off the vodka, but I did bring some Ouzo back." It lit up his face, attention turned back to Zeke as he stepped into the room -- as of yet, apparently, ignorant as to the changes. Maybe he wouldn't even notice. "Have you had Ouzo?"



He laughed under his breath, drawing the chair out with his foot and then slouching down in it, hands clasped over his stomach. Familiar. "Nope, can't say that I have." He grinned suddenly. "Though I have recently tried Okolehao, which is intense." At a hundred proof or high, intense might have been understating it a bit. "I've got some downstairs, if you wanna try some."



"What's that?"He shrugged out of the bag, dropping it next to the bed, and awkwardly scraped a hand through his hair before dropping down to sit. He turned a slow look around the place, unfamiliar, as if trying to figure it out. "Hawaiian?"



"It's pretty much Hawaiian moonshine. Strong s**t." His head tilted, features slipping into something more thoughtful as he watched the other man. It had been close to a year since he'd been here, and at that time his memory had been spotty at best. The new additions probably weren't helping, though to be fair, Zeke hadn't known Ever was going to be gone as long as he had been when he'd acquired the desk, chair, and linens.

"There's cups in the drawer," he pointed out mildly, swinging slowly back and forth. "How about a drink?"



There was a long pause, eyes narrowed -- and then Ever got up again, to poke through bags of stuff, to dig out a bottle of unopened Ouzo and set it in Zeke's lap. Then he stepped away to check the cabinets. "I definitely didn't leave cups in the drawer.



He was smiling again, eyes sparkling merrily as he ran his thumb over the label on the bottle that had been set in his lap. "The drawer you didn't have when you left? No, you didn't." There was just the hint of an edge there, teasing lightly. He lifted the bottle, turning it in his hands so he could read--try to read--the label. Gaze flicking up after a second to watch the other man again.



It was in Greek. Which either meant Ever read Greek, or he wasn't concerned about being able to read it. He poked around in the chair, whatever other stuff Zeke had left for him, in search of the cups. "You like licorice?"



"I like it enough to drink things that taste like it, if they result in a buzz." Not his favorite candy, but licorice wasn't bad in liquor form. He tapped the toe of his boot against the bottom drawer on the right hand side helpfully. "Down there, in the back."



Ever flashed him a look, brief and amused, as he reached back to get the cups out. Still crouched next to the desk, he set them both near Zeke's elbow. "It's strong. We mixed it with water, though. I don't have any water.."



"I guess we'll just have to pace ourselves." But he said it with a smirk, leaning to rest his head in his upturned hand.



Ever shook his head a bit, catching the edge of the desk to haul himself up. The bad arm curled in against his side. "I should probably eat something, too."



The hand still resting on Zeke's lap twitched as Ever hauled himself up, shoulders tensing slightly before relaxing again. "Probably not a bad idea." A beat, then he was sitting up and opening the middle drawer. It was stocked up similarly to his own desk, though the snacks inside were less his personal preference and more, well, bland. Edible, but not anything he'd have picked for himself.



Ever raised an eyebrow at that, tipping his chin up to look down his nose at Zeke. There was a spark behind it. "Have you been living here, or just missed me?"



He snorted, sitting back and propping his head up again. "No to the first, the desks been stocked up for ages." Pale hazel met dark brown, and for just a moment there was something serious there before he turned his attention back to the bottle he was still holding.

Twisting the cap off, he poured a couple fingers in each cup.



It made Ever grin again, and ease over to drop down on the couch -- brushing loose hair out of his face. He looked tired, which made sense. If he'd just gotten in, jet lag was going to be rough.

"I have the broken bracelet in there somewhere." He gestured, loosely, to the duffel.



Cap replaced, Zeke set the bottle on the desk before turning his attention down to the bag near his feet. It didn't take long to find it, though he made face as he drew it out by the mangled metal that used to be the D-ring. "Jesus Christ." His gaze turned inexorably to the faded cast on the other man's wrist.

Tight lipped, he dropped the remains of the cuff on the desk, grabbed both the cups, and made his way over to the couch to offer one to Ever. "How bad?"



"Eh." He took the cup in his good hand, raising up the cast and flexing his fingers as best he could. "There are three metals pins in there, apparently. They told me I can keep them once they're out."

With that, he raised the cup to shoot back the liquor, like a toast.



Zeke took it as a cue and tipped his on cup back, then dropped down on the couch beside Ever, probably making the other
man bounce a little. "What a nice little reminder." It wasn't what he wanted to say. He wanted to poke and prod and pick. Questioning Ever until he managed to extract every last detail from him. However, that wasn't how Ever worked. It was equal parts maddening and...endearing.

His cup came up again, only to pause just short of his lips as he realized he'd left the bottle. "s**t."



"I was in the hospital like six days, it was the worst." But, honestly, Ever didn't actually sound that upset about it. He seemed relaxed about it, really, leaning back in the bed. Or maybe it was just the tired kicking in again.



"Any estimate on how much mobility you'll retain?" A brow twitched, and though it was a serious question, he managed to lighten it up by mean of innuendo.



"I dunno." He blinked, just a bit, and then sat up to reach for the bottle of Ouzo. It was just a bit too far -- he fumbled, trying to catch it with his fingertips. "Is that something I should have asked?"



Zeke shrugged, then leaned forward enough to nudge the bottle into Ever's reaching fingers. "I would have, but I use my hands for really intricate s**t pretty much daily. If I lost a lot of dexterity I wouldn't be of much use in the infirmary."



"I didn't know it was even a thing." He hesitated -- couldn't hold his glass and pour at the same time, so instead he held out the bottle to pour Zeke another finger, in the hopes that Zeke would do the same for him. "I assumed it'd heal up fully."



Taking the hint, he took the bottle and poured. "Probably will. I think I've seen worse turn around to make a full recovery." He looked thoughtful now as he set the bottle aside and picked up his cup again. "You've also got a much stronger weapon bond now, so I'm sure that helps. They aren't numb, are they?" He pointed towards Ever's hand with his pinky as he lifted the cup for a drink.



"Mm." He wiggled his fingers again, gently, tossing back the alcohol while he considered. "The little one was for a bit. But I think that was swelling, it's gone down some, now."



He watched the wiggle, then tossed back the rest of the Ouzo. "You'll probably be fine, then," he said with feigned nonchalance, shoulders rolling in another shrug. Two shots in and he could feel the beginnings of a nice buzz tingling in his legs and arms.



Ever hummed, sprawling back on the bed -- and staring down at his shoes with his eyes narrowed, somewhat balefully. Willing them to come off on their own, perhaps. "What's been going on around here?"



Ever the opportunist, Zeke slipped off the edge of the bed—with its soft new sheets and plain, though perfectly functional summer weight comforter—to crouch beside Ever's feet.

"The quietest its ever been." His tone was perplexed, even a little concerned, but his attention seemed all for the laces of Ever's boots. "And not just since I've been awake. It's weird."



Ever hummed at that, tipping his head to watch Zeke work. His boots were scuffed, the laces a bit frayed. Could use some TLC. "I wonder what that means."



"Not a clue," he admitted as the right boot was pulled free and set aside. "Although, there was a mission in the desert." The faint sobering of his features betrayed what his so casual tone did not. "And, unrelated, Melvin seems to have found the lost city of Atlantis." This he actually seemed excited about.

The left boot followed the first, and warm, strong fingers curled around bony ankles.




"That doesn't sound real." He closed his eyes, sighing as he squared his shoulders against the bed. "But just your cup of tea, if it were."




"I'll be heading down with the next mission group, so I guess we'll see." His thumbs ran over the bones at the insides of the taller man's ankles, resting there for a moment as he shifted to his knees beside the bed. Once settled, he pulled, dragging Ever from the center of the bed so his legs dangled off the side to either side of him.

"Oh, and we had the annual division meetings. I had to go to two."




"I missed all that." His eyes opened again, peering up at Zeke as he slowly pushed himself up onto his elbows, watching him. "Anything exciting announced?"




He slid his hands up until they rested on Ever's knees. "Personally exciting, I suppose." He smirked, rubbing his thumbs up along the in-seam. "Dr. H accepted my research proposal, and my transfer out of Mist is in the works, finally."




"Uh huh." He had to cling to the edges of thoughts, eyes sliding down from Zeke's face to his hands. "What's the proposal, again?"




Pale eyes flicked up, and whatever he saw in Ever's face had him smiling smugly. "The effects of long term Fear exposure on marine life."

His hands continued upward until he was slipping his fingers under the edge of Ever's shirt to palm his hips.




"Hmm." He settled back down again, sliding off his elbows to sprawl on his back, and dragged his attention back up to Zeke's face. "You going to have to leave the island to do that?"




He rose up on his knees as Ever lay back, leaning over him. "Periodically, for short research expeditions." He traced the points of prominent hip bones in a slow, appreciative manner.




"Not long term assignment, though." He shifted just a little -- thoughtlessly, relaxing. "Like for six months or anything."




"Naw." The shirt inched upward, exposing a couple of inches of pale skin. When he spoke again his lips brushed along Ever's stomach, breath hot and tickling. "Couple of weeks, here and there. Nothing crazy."




He shivered, thoughtlessly, but otherwise ignored the contact, settling on the bed. "I speak a little modern Greek, now. You could make a case for the trip."




Just the barest edge of teeth, there and gone. "You mean more of a case than for the hell of it?"

He hooked his thumbs in the shirt fabric and pushed, exposing the long line of Ever's waist stomach and lower chest all at once.




Another little breath -- and then Ever grinned, all at once, his good hand coming up to tangle in Zeke's hair, as much as it could. "You did miss me."




Zeke scoffed, again averting his eyes, as he rubbed his dribbled chin back and forth against soft skin. "Dunno where you got an idea like that." Though he was smiling faintly, and after another quiet moment he was pushing up to climb up on the bed as well, hands and knees to either side of the blonde. "Any other injuries I should know about?"




"It's been a few weeks, everything else has pretty much healed up. Just this." He held up the cast again, awkwardly. It rendered his hand more or less useless, fingers looking stubby and strange as they poked through the plaster. "It's the wrist, so it needs some guidance or I guess they'd have to break it again..."




With the risk of further injury put to rest, that sly almost predatory grin returned in full. "Yeah, fixing a broken wrist properly is a real chore." He leaned in as he said it, shifting until he was sitting on Ever's thighs, and had settled low enough so his weight was on his elbows, and his hands were free to slide through the soft warmth of pale hair.




Ever drew a breath in, slow and thoughtless, his own hand settling just lightly against Zeke's hip. He tipped his chin up, not quite pressing his mouth to Zeke's. "Scrapes and bruises fade quickly, as you well know."




He gave an affirming rumble of agreement as he closed that last sliver of space between them, fingers curling in Ever's hair as he sank into the kiss.

Nicotine and old smoke. He had indeed missed it. Missed him, even if he wasn't all that willing to straight up admit it.

Ever wasn't stupid, though.




He also wasn't, perhaps, as stoic as he pretended -- because he immediately dragged both arms around Zeke's waist to keep him there, mouth parting under the onslaught, pressing up into him thoughtlessly. Even without the ouzo, he probably would have responded like this, a low sound rumbling in his chest.