[CLOSED] tell me what can i say ( what can i say, what can i say )

[larue]

WHO: Hikaru Shinta, Joshua LaRue + Rhiannon Board of Directors and Senior Partners
WHAT: Hello, Again.
WHERE: The Rhiannon Towers - Tokyo, Japan
WHEN: 2 January 2066
SAFE FOR WORK? Yup!
OTHER NOTES: ALL THE AWKWARD.



[ The Universe is mocking him.

That is Joshua LaRue's precise thought as he hurries past the reception area of the Rhiannon Towers in Tokyo to head straight for the elevator that will take him up to where the Board of Directors and Rhiannon's Senior Partners are meeting for the Annual post-New Year's meeting.

Everything had been planned down on his end right down to the tiniest detail: he'd touched down in Narita early the evening before, checked into his hotel ( because, no, not staying at Seigi where Hikaru might be ) and made damn sure to deal with the jetlag he was feeling and forcibly worked to align his body clock to the change in timezone.

This morning, he'd gotten up at the crack of daw, had breakfast up in his room, gone through all the necessary documents he had to review for the meeting, checked his own presentation and got ready to leave with more than enough time to spare.

Everything was perfect: he should have arrived at the Towers an hour early, which would let him get a feel of things and have time to figure out how to adjust accordingly to Hikaru's presence.

And then a freak road accident backed up traffic for about an hour and a half.

Now he's late, flustered, a little stressed and stopping only for a minute outside the boardroom to straighten his tie and run a hand through his hair before he quietly turns that knob to step in—

—right as Hikaru's up front and talking.

Someone shoot him now.

( Your evoker is in the shape of a handgun, Joshua. )

LEO. SHUT. UP.

( I was just being helpful. )

He would really like to do this day over. Please? ]

Sorry.

[ He'll just... quietly wander to the nearest empty chair. Carry on. ]

Comments

[icarusalsoflew]

Can I?

[The hopefulness in your boy's eyes and voice might be so obvious it's heartbreaking.

Yes, he's asking for permission. It's been rough, and with all the wires being crossed between you... well...]

[larue]

[ And this is him bringing his forehead right up against yours again and looking you straight in the eyes with a look that's conveys that he's happy about this but a little scared this might not be real. ]

Please?

[ Please see that he really wants you with him. It's been far too long and he's not entirely sure how he's going to be able to deal if you two end up going separate ways again. ]

My space, your space, remember?

[ If that's a little soft, it's because he's dropped his gaze to where his thumb is rubbing gentle circles over your knuckles. ]

[icarusalsoflew]

[Have a smile at that, and a soft laugh that's a tad helpless. Color this one overwhelmed. Grateful - incredibly, incredibly grateful - but overwhelmed.]

Right. I forgot about that.

[Or, more accurately, he set the possibility out of his head in order to deal with not having you close by better. But maybe he doesn't have to do that anymore.]

Okay. I can pick up some stuff for myself tomorrow, I guess.

[That's right. "Tomorrow".]

[larue]

[ The look in Josh's eyes when he looks back at you is all grateful puppy and then some. ]

I can -- I mean, if it's, okay with you, maybe I can come with?

[icarusalsoflew]

Of course.

[Smiling up at.]

Then we can head back to Falner...?

[Unless, of course, you have things to do. Because if you do, that's fine with him. Really.]

[larue]

[ The only thing he will probably want to do is curl up on the couch and cuddle with you. ]

Sure.

[ He's going to tug you back towards where the rest are. And no, he's not letting go of your hand. ]

Thank you, by the way.

[icarusalsoflew]

[Blink.

Oh, he has no complaints about that, by the way. The hand holding, that is.]

For what?

[larue]

The gift you sent me.

[ He's got it on a shoulder holster. No sense spooking people who might wonder about it. And he wanted it close. ]

[icarusalsoflew]

[Oh.

Well.

Ducking his head now, with a smile that shows just how pleased he is that you liked it.]

Every Card needs an Evoker, right?

[He's... not sure whether he should be saying something like that just yet, but. He ought to try to.]

[larue]

[ And that is going to get you pulled up right under his arm, with the brush of his lips right along the top of your ear. ]

Yeah, we kind of do.

[ He'd been using an evoker right out of the Armory. Nothing that could could have the same amount of meaning as the one you'd given him for chrismas ]

[icarusalsoflew]

[For the record: he is perfectly all right with being the recipient of your easy affection. (You're the one, in fact, who made him appreciate its merits. Things like that didn't used to matter. Then again, you've changed a whole lot about everything for him.)

Your response, as well, is an assurance. This whole Card deal appears to be something that the two of you can talk about.

He's going to be quietly and carefully testing a lot of boundaries for now.]

I just hope that Leo likes it too.

[Since now he's going to have to deal with the preferences of two entities in one boyfriend. Not that he minds, of course...]

[larue]

[ He pauses when you bring that up, but it's a surprised ( and good ) pause as opposed to outright freezing.

Because one of his biggest regrets about spending the year apart from you was being unable to share the first few months of getting to know Leo in your presence.

( Perhaps later, when the opportunity arises, you can finally introduce us properly, Joshua. I would like to meet the man who means the world to you. )

[ He doesn't answer Leo outright. Instead, he slides his hand down your spine, catches your hand again, and holds on tight. ]

We both love it. [ A pause, a smile, and then: ] He wants to meet you, you know.

[icarusalsoflew]

Oh? I can't imagine why.

[There's a bit of your boyfriend's old, near-British dryness coming out again. It's coupled with the way he squeezes your hand right back.]

[larue]

[ His eyes go a little soft as he looks at you, and maybe there's a moment's hesitation, but he's always been kind of an all-or-nothing kind of guy. And with you, the latter was never really an option. Not even with the year apart. You said you never stopped loving him. Well, he never stopped loving you. ]

Well, you're kind of going to be stuck with me for a while, [ shrug ] he kind of comes with the package.

[ Does he look a little shy? A little bit like that boy who looked a little frayed around the edges the first time he'd arrived at Falner? Maybe. ]

[icarusalsoflew]

[Stuck with you, huh? That doesn't seem like a bad predicament to be in.

Have a look that's a mix of amusement and fondness as the two of you are, at long last, stepping back into the thick of things.]

I've become rather accustomed to similar circumstances, Josh. [Yeah, not quite at the level of calling you "LaRue" yet...] I'll manage.

[larue]

[ He's going to stick by you for the rest of the lunch and anything else that comes after, his hand never really straying far from you, at least when he can sneak the opportunity to fold his palm unto yours.

It feels — to be completely and utterly honest — great.

When the meeting finally wraps up and everyone's said their goodbyes, he's sliding a hand along the small of your back and turning his face to one side so he can murmur softly in your ear that the car he's rented for his entire stay in Tokyo is in the parking bay. ]

You ready to go?

[icarusalsoflew]

Yeah.

[He's not about to admit how tired he is. Social events have the tendency to exhaust him, and quite frankly? He would have left the meeting way back if things hadn't somehow worked out between the two of you and he had still been alone.

(He's still in shock, by the way.)

There's no one from Seigi waiting for him. News travels fast.]

Where's your hotel?

[larue]

[ He mentions the name — it's not exactly one of the usual places you used to frequent together. He's pretty sure you've heard of it though ( this is your country, and your memory for things and detail is scary sometimes ) and as you're walking he's starting to look a little sheepish.

Maybe he should have booked a room elsewhere, but at the time he didn't see the point? A bed was a bed. A room was a room. And if things hadn't gone over well with you both he would have just packed, crashed and gone back home. ]

[icarusalsoflew]

[What was that you said about your boyfriend and his scary level of attention to detail? And that other part as well, about how he's kind of ridiculously attuned to your tells, your daily minutiae?

Yes, all of that. He's looking up at you now with a mix of curiosity and concern.]

The Westin's closer to these Towers.

[Also worlds nicer than the place you picked. Joshua LaRue always makes it a point to treat himself, even a little, if he's doing okay. Your hotel choice is a glaring red flag.]

[larue]

[ Have a shrug, Blade King. ]

It's not that bad. [ Maybe he should put in a call and just... move hotels for the night. ] I was only going to stay until tomorrow afternoon, at the latest.

Three days is too short for the Westin.

[ And besides, going there would have made him think of you. ]

[icarusalsoflew]

[Have a kiss on the mouth and this one's hand on your cheek so that he can look right in your eyes as he says:]

You know I'm good with anything. I'm just more concerned about you.

[This may be his quiet way of telling you to stop beating yourself up over anything. It's not like he believes that any of this is your fault.

(Which might be a problem.)]

[larue]

[ He's going to duck his head a little and guide you into the elevator before he presses the button to take you down to the basement. ]

I should be more concerned about you.

[ Because now that he's up close, he can see just how thin you've gotten along the face. Your cheekbones are standing out more against the planes of your face; your eyes look tired.

That's his arm coming back around your waist. ]

[icarusalsoflew]

[Chuckling.]

One night at a place that doesn't have five stars under its belt isn't going to kill me.

[...And there's that tell. The one where he averts his gaze, and you know he's trying to turn your attentions elsewhere with humor.]

[larue]

[ And he's tipping your chin up. Because nope, not this time, babe. ]

I wasn't talking about the hotel.

That's easily fixed with a phone call.

[icarusalsoflew]

Oh.

[And he has no quick response to that, really. What could he say that isn't going to make him feel a little dumb and maybe a lot embarrassed? But staying silent doesn't help either?

This is difficult.]