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 Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2022 3:15 am
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Faustite tried the office first. A small thing, hardly larger than a utility closet, and likely chosen for that purpose — as much as it helped against natural forces like plants and Albite. When he knocked, he got no answer; when he trespassed, only the plants and their grow lights were there to greet him.
Then he had Headache check the time. It was late enough in the morning that Yuuri might have been home. Or, he assumed Yuuri went home, at least sometimes, when he wasn't napping in the closets like he didn't want to go home.
Faustite hadn't slept much for the past few days; a few hours here or there seemed to suffice, so long as they were from noon to three. Perhaps, if he went to Yuuri's, he would find the boy too preoccupied to deal with him, and he could retreat home and tell himself that he tried, and that was that. But, truly, even if Yuuri was busy, he would make time for Eion somehow. Put off deadlines, put off food, put off sleep. He wanted to tell himself that if he didn't visit Yuuri, then he wouldn't postpone eating or sleep, and that was, in a way, taking slightly better care of himself. But that wouldn't do, either.
He was supposed to talk more about himself. Share things, since he seemed to keep missing the ones that mattered to the people around him.
In a blink, he was a block away from Yuuri and Lev and Misha's apartment, by an abandoned home with an overgrown arboretum that provided ample privacy. Then he was Eion, some sneakered, coat-riddled thing, hopping a fence like a vagrant, and started for Yuuri's. He'd been enough times that he could forego the GPS.
Which was good, he supposed. When he checked his phone to let Yuuri know he was coming over, he found the thing dead and cold.
So he knocked when he got there. Waited. Fidgeted with the hems of his clothes, his cold fingers. Told himself it was a stupid idea to bring any of this up.
guine finally got to the start so he can share the news~
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Posted: Mon Apr 25, 2022 5:23 pm
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Eion jumped at the sound of the door unlatching, and jammed his hands into the pockets of his coat as soon as the door opened. He felt foolish and blindsided — he walked into this with the nebulous idea that conversation would go smoothly, then he'd spend a couple hours hanging out with his friend before he went back to Negaspace for some sleep.
But now that he faced Yuuri, he realized he didn't know how to start that conversation. Still floundering for words, Eion nodded at Yuuri's question, and tried to force a smile, and realized he didn't smile enough for it to feel natural.
At all. He felt like he was grimacing.
So he stepped inside at the invitation, nodded at the chance for tea. "Please." He dug his nails into his palms to keep from gesticulating.
The question had been eating at him as he followed the softspoken boy to the kitchen, where he took up meandering restlessly, or staring at nothing. How was he supposed to lead into a topic that had no basis in conversation? Not that they spoke much around each other — they hadn't needed to, he thought, because a comfortable silence said as much, but a comfortable silence failed to communicate that he was changing branches, or that he had liked his friend for a terribly long time, or —
"Yuuri. How do you know what you should tell your friends? Without them asking. Or oversharing." He mumbled off the rest of the question.
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Posted: Mon May 02, 2022 1:06 pm
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Yuuri blinked at Eion’s question as he made his way to the kitchen. The kettle was put back on the burner, but he paused instead of pulling out cups or the selection of tea to offer.
“I guess… if it was important to me, I would want them to know.”
He didn’t have many friends though, so that helped limit things.
“Maybe I don’t understand,” he frowned, wondering if something was lost in translation. He didn’t think there was anything about what Eion said that could be misunderstood, but he also felt as though he wasn’t being given all of the context.
“Is everything okay? Is… did you start doing yoga with Axinite?” he wondered, his expression twisting a little between concern, amusement, and exasperation. Not that yoga was something he expected was important enough to prompt Eion to ask his question.
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Posted: Thu May 12, 2022 4:10 pm
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"No, been waiting to heal first. Keep getting beaten, broken, or stabbed." And he sighed, rubbed the back of his neck. He knew he should start, but attempting any sort of bending with a mending wrist or a torn ligament in his shoulder sounded ill-advised at best, and terribly painful. "But things are fine."
Then Eion grew pensive. Better that Yuuri didn't worry needlessly, he knew, and it was something important to him. By Yuuri's response, he should say something about it.
Yuuri wasn't one to laugh at him, or make fun of him for it, and he doubted that Yuuri would consider it too much information about Eion's personal life. But what if it hurt him? Which would be worse, not telling him or telling him?
Breathing a small sigh at himself, Eion removed his left hand from his pocket. "I'm getting married."
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Posted: Mon May 16, 2022 7:08 am
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They were always getting hurt, in one way or another it seemed. He’d gotten into the habit of not telling anyone when he was hurt, so he didn’t expect anyone else to tell him either. Not because he didn’t trust them or think they would care, but because he didn’t want to seem weaker than he already felt.
He glanced to Eion’s wrist, but didn’t say anything. Was that what he was talking about? That he wanted to tell him what happened -- the full story and not just an entry in a database.
But he was completely caught off guard when Eion took his hand from his pocket and--
“You’re getting married?” Yuuri gasped, fumbling with the cup he’d just picked up, and quickly set it back down before he could break it. Hoping he wasn’t wrong in assuming that Eion was showing him his hand with the intention of a closer look, Yuuri took hold of Eion’s hand in both of his own to verify that there was, in fact, a ring there.
“When-- who??” he gasped again, because he knew Eion had a number of people he was, well, intimate with, but he didn’t know enough about what Eion did with them to know how close he was to--
Wow, he suddenly felt like a horrible friend. He had no idea who Eion was even dating. Was he dating? They had to be dating, right? That was the step before marriage, right??
But none of that mattered because--
“You… want to get married, don’t you?” Because he was going to be very angry if someone was forcing this on Eion.
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Posted: Mon May 16, 2022 6:34 pm
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Other than a small twinge of pain when he turned his wrist certain ways, Yuuri examining the ring didn't bother him. He'd learned to curb his don't-burn-your-friends reflex, too, after the way Lysithea reacted so badly to it. For that, he felt a shred of pride that he didn't jerk his hand out of his friend's grasp.
But he also wondered if that wasn't the best way to tell Yuuri. Or anyone. He shelved that thought for another time.
"Yes?" He answered, his surprise at Yuuri's surprise turning up the inflection in his response. "Used to think about it a lot. When I was human. Didn't think half-youma could, then I stopped thinking about it.
"Wasn't until Albite asked that I thought about it again. It's," he paused, brows furrowed, as he tried to assemble a perspective. "between shocking and exciting. Afraid to believe it's happening, because what if it doesn't?" And the statement sounded silly, hanging there, between two normal people in a normal home on a normal day. DC's bustling boundaries oscillated around them, completely ignorant of their existence. The question therefore sounded baseless and paranoid, when spoken without the backdrop of his real self, of the Citadel and all the blood and loss for which it stood.
"Haven't picked a date yet. Haven't… really decided anything." He glanced away, rubbed his nose. "Neither of us knows how to plan a wedding." As if anyone could look at Albite and say that he planned anything, including his own breakfast in the morning, but Eion? He was supposed to be good at planning.
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Posted: Tue May 17, 2022 4:46 am
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Yuuri drew in the makings of an exasperated breath.
How many times would he have to try and convince that Eion was human before he got it in that overheated head of his? How could he not be human if he felt enough human emotion to get married? How could he care if he was hurting his friends if there wasn’t human in there? Not that Yuuri wouldn’t have accepted being hurt, but that was not the case.
Had there ever been that fear with Eion? With Faustite? Maybe offhandedly, but it was never at the forefront of his mind that he could be hurt.
The breath that was drawn in came out in a sputtered rush, and Yuuri felt his face burn as he stared at Eion with wide, incredulous eyes.
“Albite?!” he squeaked in distress, even as he continued to gently hold Eion’s hand. Because of course he would never do anything to hurt him. Not purposefully.
“You’re-- serious? Albite?” he repeated, and then flushed darker because wow that was rude of him. But!! Albite!! Of all people!!
Yuuri’s eyebrows furrowed with concern. He was trying to understand Albite, and thankfully the man had left him alone (for the most part), but he was still stuck with countless plants that kept showing up.
Maybe this was good. Maybe Faustite could keep the man under control --
No, probably not. They were both like wildfire in their own way.
But still! What if Albite was taking advantage of Faustite? He’d already climbed the ranks -- or so he’d heard. He’d somehow managed to avoid him for a while.
And… Eion was getting married.
“If you’re happy, then I’m happy,” Yuuri decided with a huff, pushing out his own emotions on the topic. He released Eion’s hand, but only so he could reach forward and wrap his arms around him to gingerly hug him. He didn’t know where else he was injured, after all.
“But if he makes you unhappy, let me know.” And he’ll make sure the body was never found.
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Posted: Tue May 17, 2022 3:13 pm
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Yuuri's response was shockingly honest. And Eion wasn't sure how to respond.
"What? He's nice to me," he answered lamely. And Albite was a lot more than that, but he doubted it would do anything but poorly to defend his choices like that. "And…" He stared back at Yuuri, who was staring at him, and he was at a loss for what to say.
He wasn't sure how this would go. Instinct said that he should have kept to himself, because Yuuri looked ready to pop like a balloon with the way his eyes were bulging and his voice was breaking. Was it wrong? Did he make a poor choice? Was Yuuri now hopelessly upset? He was terrible at this, whatever this was. Schörl would've told him.
Maybe he wasn't supposed to get married, even if it lacked any basis in legality.
"He likes me as me," he added, swallowing back his throat's want to close over the words. That was — he wasn't sure what that was.
But then that was that. All the glimpse into Yuuri's thoughts on the matter that he would get.
Then Yuuri's arms were around him, and he always treasured his boy's hugs, always wished he could glean all sorts of physical contact out of him, even if it was shoulders touching on a bench, or a brush of hands, or — he bit the inside of his cheek, and encircled the frail boy's waist.
A count of seconds passed. "Yuuri," he spoke again, "speak your mind."
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Posted: Tue May 17, 2022 4:46 pm
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Speak your mind--
Yuuri let out a breath, but it was more like a little puff of air that he’d been holding for too long. If he could speak his mind… he didn’t know. Maybe things would be different. It wasn’t easy to put his emotions into words. There were too many of both. Too many languages got jumbled up and by the time he remembered how to translate it all to English, the moment passed.
He also didn’t want to say anything to dissuade Eion from getting married, especially if that was what he wanted.
“Others like you for you. I like you for you,” he finally said even though his voice was soft, but kept his arms around Eion’s shoulders. “Albite is… I mean… I don’t know him very well. I’m glad heps nice to you. But he’s quick to act. I’m not saying he doesn’t love you-- I mean, I hope you’re getting married because he loves you and you love him. But I’m worried that it will be all honeymoon for him and you’re left piecing together-- plans and… whatever marriage entails. I don’t know if that makes sense.”
Yuuri paused and quickly shook his head. He pulled back enough to be able to actually look at Eion’s face. “I’m happy you told me. I’m not trying to critique your decision. I just… don’t want someone taking advantage of you,” he admitted.
Inside there was something almost like self-pity, too. Not because he was jealous. No, he was sincerely happy that Eion was happy, but he wondered what his life would have been like if he didn’t hold himself back as much. Would he have been married now? If he knew how to speak his mind? Probably not, but the point was that he would never know.
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Posted: Tue May 17, 2022 5:18 pm
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He sounded a quiet assent. He understood that he collected a few souls that liked him, that saw him as someone worth valuing, even though he was on fire most of the time. There was Yuuri, of course, and Alkmene, Celadonite, Taenite. He had a strong handful of boys with whom he could spend his time, and he loved each of them in different ways, treasured their uniqueness from everyone else in the world. It made sense, then, that what he had said failed to set Albite apart.
"This'll sound stupid," he warned, "but we're not afraid to piss each other off. Got into it a few times, but… You know I was in the Rift a while. Youma are an easy read, but people have nuance. Albite's like a youma that way — nothing between the ears, no covered hurts to infer, no veiled anger for unspoken transgressions.
"You're right, he's quick to act. If something ill comes of it," Eion shrugged cooly, "guess he'll make a good barbecue." And Albite would acknowledge that he deserved it, too.
"Not planning to stop at him, though." If he could exchange rings with every boy in whom he got tangled, that would be enough for him. Little gifts on every finger, marking their history with each other. Their future, too, if so desired.
And he quite liked that they needed no courthouse, or officiation, or whatever papered nonsense.
For Yuuri's comment about taking advantage, he smiled. "Tempt me to find a snake, if it means watching you dismantle someone." He smoothed some of Yuuri's hair back, where it draped and threatened to fall into his face. "He's not smart enough to willfully take advantage of someone. You've seen him at least once. No thoughts between those ears."
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Posted: Tue May 31, 2022 9:37 am
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Yuuri frowned in a way that didn’t look like a frown at all, more like the pouting of a petulant child who was being told they were making a big deal over nothing. Or maybe it was just the effect Albite had on him.
It wasn’t that he disliked Albite, but he wasn’t quite sure he could agree with Eion about Albite having no thoughts.
“It doesn’t sound stupid, but I think he’s more perceptive than he lets on,” Yuuri mumbled to himself, but didn’t move away from Eion fussing with his hair.
Albite was loud, and he seemed like he played the part of being all muscle and no brain, but he was thoughtful and clever. He played his loudness to his advantage. Or maybe Yuuri was giving him more credit than he deserved.
Yuuri let out a somewhat dramatic sigh. “Thank you for telling me. I’m happy for you,” he said, because he was happy that Eion was happy. And he hoped that he didn’t have to murder Albite for whatever reason.
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Posted: Wed Jun 08, 2022 5:35 pm
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"Mm. Think he's imaginative. Sees more good in people than they deserve," he finished, glancing over with lidded eyes. Albite was bold and loud, and couldn't speak succinctly to save his life, but he had his strengths. Physical strength, certainly — he'd carried Faustite like he weighed nothing — and he was personable. Knew a host of eateries all across Destiny City, which meant he knew people, and it meant a number of places they could stake out in search of traitors like Nembus.
But if Yuuri wanted to think him perceptive, Eion wouldn't ruin that for him. Perhaps he was, and Eion was too bitter to see it that way.Albite had more redeeming features than himself, after all. For what good was a scrawny, jaded boy who could only look human for three hours a day?
"Thanks," he murmured. Yuuri's support meant more than he could find words to admit, so he expressed them in another gentle squeeze around the boy's waist.
"Feels like you're filling out. Lunches with Axinite must be working." Or it was wishful thinking on Eion's part. Equally possible — he had hoped that those meetings proved fruitful for the boy who had stood by him for years, the one who had been wasting away when they first reconnected in the middle of the night.
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Posted: Sun Jun 19, 2022 7:36 am
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Oh, was the boy ticklish? He knew what to do with that. Better it was saved for a day when Yuuri was particularly moody.
It did feel like Yuuri had gotten slightly less bony. A pleasant discovery — meant he would have more strength and energy, which had its uses in the field and out of it. And while he'd love to drag Yuuri to his bedroom and test out precisely that hypothesis, he doubted that now was the time.
Disappointing, that.
"Mm." Eion nodded. He had much to catch up on, between that and therapy. But all those personal projects were constantly getting rescheduled with all these opportunities for trainings, missions, reconnaissance, and more. He supposed yoga with Axinite would take no longer than having his way with a boy, but he felt apprehensive about it nevertheless. Besides, Axinite was always busy — surely he preferred it if Faustite stayed out of his hair?
"Thanks," he muttered as he released his friend. Yuuri had always done so much for him; when was the last time Eion had done something for him? It was a thought he would ruminate on for days to come, he was sure.
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