[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]

[And since ten minutes did go some ways at making Hikaru feel a little less like shit...

Have one violet eye cracking open the moment you come around, then two fixing on the shirt. Then a quirk of your boy's lips.]

That for me?

[larue]

Uh-hm. [ He's moving the backs of his fingers along the length of your forearm when he answers that. ]

I didn't have an extra pair of sweats though.

[icarusalsoflew]

Doesn't change the fact that you're such a considerate gentleman.

[Humor's a good sign, right? So is the fact that he's kissing you again before pushing himself up and taking off his top.

What might not be such a good sign, though, is the fact that in that brief moment you have to see your boy without a shirt, you're also going to see that yes, he's thinned out far too much. And there are some recent scars, like he's been on the kinds of engagements that could leave lasting damage on a Keeper of his level.]

[larue]

[ There's a moment when, as he's watching you, as he's seeing that -- that he actually forgets to breathe for about a second.

The weight loss, he had expected. He could see the signs of it in the shadows of your cheeks, the way your features are sharper than he's used to. You tend to forget to take care of yourself when other things occupy you. Like the way you will do all the things capable of distracting yourself.

At the end of it then, maybe the scars shouldn't surprise him too much. ]

[icarusalsoflew]

[He doesn't notice immediately because he's looking down at his pants and casting a small spell to make them a little more comfortable to sleep in (thank you, Matter magic). When he turns to you, though...]

What is it?

[It's only right to ask instead of operating, perpetually, on his own intuition with you. That takes him too far, too often.]

[larue]

[ He's reaching for you then, fingers curling at your elbow as he draws you near. ]

C'mere... [ He can't find it in himself to smooth back the frown that's put a knot between his brows and a line on his lips.

He's gently lifting up the back of your shirt now to get a better look at those scars. ( Forgive him, babe. It's worry for you on several levels, but it's really more concern than anything else that's got him like this. ) ]

Where'd these come from?

[icarusalsoflew]

[ His stomach sinks a little when he feels your hand curl around his elbow, but he doesn't struggle or try to move away. His gaze follows yours, right down to what remains of his own injuries.

There's a smile in your direction now, a touch helpless, apologetic, and ashamed. In retrospect, he should have expected you to notice eventually, and zone in on them.]

Do you want specifics, or can I plead guilty to the charge of being a little too reckless?

[larue]

[ Maybe it's precisely because you don't move away or try to brush it off that all he can really do is pull you back down onto his lap before he's pressing his lips to yours. ]

Whatever you feel comfortable telling me is fine.

[ That's said softly as he smooths down the back of your shirt. Had this been a year ago, he would have fussed, beat himself up over not being around to tell you to slow down. Now though, he's just loosely curling his arms about your waist and quietly searching your gaze. ]

[icarusalsoflew]

[That's... not the kind of reaction that he had been expecting, so excuse him if he stares blankly at you for a bit before laughing, just so, in what little air there is between you and putting his forehead against yours.]

Thank you. [For trying to understand. For taking things as they came. For attempting to give him some space.] There was a call a couple of months back. Terrorist group in China. They had some Grendal tech on them.

[Which would explain the injuries, wouldn't it?]

[larue]

[ He's going to nod at that, take what you said in and just... lean in close.

A couple of months ago, he was shuttling between Manila and the States. If he wasn't at Rhiannon or at home, he was over at the Other Brennan house, babysitting the toddlers. ]

Resistant? [ Yes. That's all he's asking. ]

[icarusalsoflew]

Yeah. Honestly, it looked worse than it actually was. Still does.

[This is, perhaps, the first conversation that either of you have had over this kind of situation. It's more than a little encouraging, especially in light of how things were between the two of you before... well. This.]

[larue]

[ And that's getting him to pull you in closer, so that he can rest his chin on your shoulder. It's over and done with. He wasn't there, and he has to admit that he'd deliberately turned his attentions away knowing full well that he wasn't anywhere near the kind of okay that would be good for you. ]

I'm really glad you're okay.

[ He's tilting his head to one side at that, resting his cheek on your shoulder. ]

[icarusalsoflew]

Can't really afford to be too reckless anymore.

[Saying that softly, as he's settling even more against your body. There are still times when he feels like he doesn't deserve this new lease in life, but he's not nearly as fatalistic as he used to be. The two of you are also back together the way that you ought to be too, now.

He can come home to you; you can come home to him. There's always been something poetic about that.]

[larue]

[ He's going to nuzzle your cheek at that. Because holding you close is something he's missed. Terribly.

He could say something in response to that, but he decides against it. Risks are part of being a Keeper of the Vigil. Recklessness, not so much. But it does happen. ]

[icarusalsoflew]

[And since you're quiet, this one is content to stay quiet as well --

-- some fifteen minutes in, though, you'll probably notice the way he's sagging against your body a little more. You'll also hear a soft yawn.

'Exhausted' doesn't begin to cut it right now.]

[larue]

[ A kiss to the forehead then. ]

Come on, [ he's shifting a little, being careful that he doesn't jar you in any way. ] Why don't you nap for a bit.

I can call for dinner later.

[icarusalsoflew]

[There's a notable delay before he responds, one that might make you think that he's drifted off on you. And then:]

Join me?

[You might as well get some rest too.]

[larue]

[ There's a soft sound that sounds a lot like a chuckle from his end. And then he's tipping your face up so that he can kiss you lightly on the mouth. ]

I was hoping you'd ask.