✧ — passionfruit green tea.

[boba]

Comments

[oversea]

[ elysium is trying so hard to be a good bro meanwhile this was the worst possible answer he could have given thorns. ]

Let's go back to the bar. I need to check on them.

[transmit]

[ 'them'… as in his crush?!?!?! damn, the validity of his suspicions increase by the second.

this is what thorns gets for bro-zoning Elysium for a decade… ]

You really won't tell me who it is?

[oversea]

[ THEM AS IN THE GROUP PLURAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

he wonders if this is what it was like dealing with him while everyone was sucking face at purg... ]

There is nothing to tell.

[transmit]

I'll find out who eventually.

[ mutters under his breath. ]

It's a Liberi, isn't it? With white feathers.

[oversea]

[ he freezes for a second, but quickly recovers his composure. ]

What makes you say that?

[transmit]

One of your crew was asking me about it when I got here.

[ he shifts uncomfortably, wondering if he'd pushed it too far. ]

It sounded like it went way beyond just a crush…

[ thorns supposedly has a feather? that's serious. ]

[oversea]

[ see, this is why you need to take off the ring immediately so no one sees it...

he isn't entirely sure how to answer, since it's a little difficult to find an excuse for this that makes sense. ]

... It's from no one in my crew. It was a goodbye gift from someone.

[transmit]

[ the more he learns the worst this gets. ]

… What. Was long distance not an option?

[oversea]

It went beyond long distance.

[ ... he just sighs, gesturing back to the bar again. ]

Come on. I don't want to bore you.

[transmit]

[


HE HAS A DEAD LOVER? sorry. this revelation is literally going to root him in place. ]

Why would you think it'd bore me?

[ THIS SOUNDS SERIOUS? or maybe… he's still trying to get over it? or can't? he's going to mourn over them for the rest of his life?

oh god. ]

[oversea]

[ this conversation is just getting worse and worse. thorns should have just let that one guy badly hit on elysium instead of going through this. ]

We never talk about stuff like this.

[ why isn't... elysium moving... ]

[transmit]

[ he is no longer not moving but he's clutching his head in his hands and muttering frenetically under his breath. ]

… Dios mío… I had no idea… how can I call myself his amigo like this?

[oversea]

[ the way thorns is unaware of what conclusion elysium has leapt to, but he at least knows it's definitely a wrong one.

... but this is probably for the best? ]

Elysium, you're talking to yourself.

[transmit]

I'm sorry, bro…… I'll do better…

[ THE DELAYED ALCOHOL-INDUCED EMOTIONAL BREAKDOWN ]

[oversea]

[ oh my fucking god

he gives him a halfhearted pat on the shoulder. ]

It's fine. Don't worry about it.

[transmit]

[ he needs more than a few seconds to collect himself and crouches down to bury his face into his knees.

…

this is why he and thorns can never fall in love. not that he was thinking about it to begin with, and maybe he has on occasion, but that notion has just been more reinforced now more than ever. ]

[oversea]

[ REINFORCED INCORRECTLY!!! this really is the gen route

thorns isn't sure what to do here. he looks around awkwardly. ]

... I shouldn't have said anything.

[transmit]

[ why is whether it's gen or not so dependent on elysium tears up ]

I haven't been super reliable…

[oversea]

[ they needed to get drunker for thorns to start hitting on him... they made the mistake of leaving the bar... ]

You've been fine? You just gave me food.

[transmit]

We only see each other so many times a year.

[ you'd think him sobering up would be a good thing, but no. he rises to stand to look at thorns directly, hands square on his shoulders. ]

Considering everything you've been through, it's hard to imagine you're fine. Everything had to happen in… a six month timespan? And then things would've ended later than that. [ … ] That's no amount of time to recover.

[oversea]

[ what the fuck is he imagining.

thorns glances at his hands before finally meeting elysium's gaze. ]

... Let's just enjoy our time together before you have to leave, Elysium.

[transmit]

Right. We should do that.

[ … ]

I'll put in a request to stay a little longer this time.

[oversea]

... Are you sure?

[ thorns really should have asked fiammetta when does rhodes blow up but he was not thinking that far ahead. ]

[transmit]

I usually keep my schedule pretty open when it comes to our check-ins. It's always hard to predict what might come up around you, you know…?

[ mostly because

thorns rarely tells him anything outright, and he's learned to play it by ear since long ago. he just didn't expect dead significant others to be one of those things, but even that fits within the kind of support he wants to offer his friend. where does he begin to untangle this?

… ]

Anywhere from an extra week or two's easy.

[oversea]

[ well. other elysium may as well be dead to him now considering they are separated by time and space.

thorns still feels like he needs to correct something here but he has no idea of how to go about that. ]

... If you're sure. Try not to get into any trouble.