✧ — peach iced tea.

[boba]

this post is so clean

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[transmit]

[ as with each time thorns has tugged on the chain, elysium complies pliantly. there is no reason for him to act up again after he's proven his point, so!

all that meets thorns is a smile as he licks his fingers clean, closing his mouth around each individual digit to make sure nothing is left behind. ( francy voice ) they're fine. ]

That's already been my case for a long, long time. I won't let anything happen to you.

[oversea]

[ everything is fine as long as they are alive and together.

he thinks briefly to how whoever is out there was probably watching the fight between elysium and the rookie, since they would need to keep an eye on their goods. if anything, if thorns hadn't shown up right when he did, they might have tried to take elysium out by surprise—it's easier to take someone out when they're distracted by their weapon being embedded in another person.

he probably should have surveyed the immediate area, but it hadn't even crossed his mind when normally it would have. ]

Is that a promise?

[transmit]

[ yeah, honestly. elysium has managed to thoroughly convince himself that this is the best thing that has ever happened to them and it'd taken him too long to realise what was important all along: them, and being together.

he's going to make this work no matter what it takes. ]

It is. [ he hooks their pinkies together, crosses his heart and hopes to die if he doesn't. they have a lot to live for, now. each other. ] I'm not letting you leave my sight.

[oversea]

I'd be mad if you said anything else.

[ someone please knock them out.

he goes quiet for a moment, before adding, ]

They likely know your face, right?

[transmit]

[ nothing like segueing into a normal conversation after having the most insane exchange of their lives. his expression turns more serious. ]

If you're wondering if they realised it was me specifically who took out their scouts, I don't think so. But they should know both of ours now regardless.

[ … ]

What are you thinking about?

[ if thorns is thinking about going out on the field elysium will kill him ]

[oversea]

[ it does seem like leaping from an extreme to another, but this is just what their lives are like now, being able to discuss the most deeply codependent things and then switching to discussing the weather. ]

Just wondering how annoying leaving will be.

[ in the chance that they get followed. ]

[transmit]

Did you want to leave after the others get here?

[ he will, in the end, defer to thorns' judgement. despite what the physician said, he thinks he can still swing his sword around well enough?

the situation can either get better or worse, and there are less ideal places to be stranded in than higashi. but with that said, even the circumstances alone are enough to make him feel stir crazy. ]

[oversea]

We can see what they'll need of us, at least.

[ they are going to have to give them all the information that they know, at least, so if they want to be responsible adults they can't run off the second they appear.

but they'd likely need to question elysium specifically, considering he's the one who had to deal with. even besides the baggage of killing another operator, they'd want as much information on how the sniperguard was acting. ]

[transmit]

[ the real answer is that he most likely didn't have to do what he did, but the moment he thought about thorns having to potentially do it in his stead he acted first. thorns is faster, stronger. he had to do it before he'd found them and he barely made it in time.

thorns would continue to live with himself, but if that's one less weight he could save him from, why wouldn't he? ]

… Alright. After that… we'll keep our promises to each other.

[ it hits him suddenly and all at once how tired he is. now that he's once again settled and secured, he finds his eyelids drooping into a close. more importantly, him and thorns are bound closer than ever. technically, thorns could disperse the handcuffs at any given time, but the feel of it against his wrist is somehow… comforting?

it's a physical representation of their bond. he dozes off… the way he's still bleeding and now they're stuck to each other have fun with that thorns ]

[oversea]

[ OKAY.

he realizes this is problematic as soon as elysium falls asleep because thorns does not want to jostle him too much and wake him. eventually he just settles for ripping part of his shirt to at least cover the part of elysium's wound that he aggravated.

it's far from perfect, but it'll do until later. for now he just settles and watches him snooze. heart eyes. ]

[transmit]

[ heart eyes when elysium is getting exponentially more toxic okay he sees you.

elysium's pager goes off. the fact that he doesn't stir after the first ring probably speaks levels… what does thorns do. ]

[oversea]

[ hmm...

he reaches over to grab it, mostly to shut it off so it won't wake elysium. anything good? ]

[transmit]

[ they really want elysium to pick up this call… they ring again right after. ]

You don't have to pick it up…

[ holds thorns closer as if he's the one they're trying to reach. okay. if everyone involves play dead surely they will get the hint (there is an organisation actively killing and kidnapping rhodes operators) ]

[oversea]

[ it's fine it's all good

thorns ignores it, but then it just goes off again after it finally stopped. this is hell. he leans in to kiss elysium. ]

I love you.

[ he says this so seriously, like he's about to go off to war, but he's just going to answer the stupid pager. ]

[transmit]

[ thorns had one job and he failed it.

elysium yanks the chain roughly. it is so sudden and aggressive for how comfortable they were literally ten seconds ago. thorns did this… he swipes the pager and holds it out of reach. ]

Operator Elysium. [ not only does he sound done, he looks done, casting thorns a petulant glare. ] Can I help you?

[ all of this is done aloud so thorns can hear however much of the conversation he wants to pay attention to. they're due in two hours and want him at the lab by the time they get there. based on the results, this isn't something they can just put off—they need all hands on deck.

…

it's a pretty normal conversation until he mentions that he's injured and he and the other rookies are at high risk. to be safer rather than sorry, they should keep thorns stationed near them. it's not the weirdest request, but there are better personnel suited for bodyguard duty. he's quick to cut them off and say the rookies are shaken up as they are; someone they're familiar with is better than a stranger.

okay. wrong answers do not merit 'i love you's back. ]

[oversea]

[ help

thorns listens to the entire conversation quietly. he does not think his answer was wrong because they would have simply kept calling annoyingly, but he realizes they do not agree here. he remains silent once the conversation is over, but after a few minutes have passed, ]

You're not going to say it back?

[ it seems like his silence is simply shocked that elysium did not say it back. ]

[transmit]

[ he wasn't going to ignore it forever… he just wanted to keep feeling thorns prioritising him over everything else… what's a ring when you have the most handsome cutest bestest fiancé in your arms?? this is the point in which he's spiraled to. ]

Say what? I couldn't hear you over the ringing.

[oversea]

[ he's been rejected......

thorns just lays back down and closes his eyes. they said two hours so that gives them like an hour and a half at most to do nothing. ]

Nothing. It's not important.

[transmit]

[ okay……… he's going to try and get up only to be stopped by the handcuffs. he looks down at thorns. ]

If you take this off, I can redo my bandages.

[oversea]

I don't want to.

[ but he realistically knows he has to or else it'll be really awkward to do it. even if they work together, the chain is going to make it difficult to reach certain areas without straining themselves.

he just stares at the handcuffs like a petulant child. ]

[transmit]

Are you the one acting up now?

[ they can have another terrible conversation about this, why not. he leans as uncomfortably close to thorns' face as he can without bumping their noses.

hi. ]

[oversea]

[ thorns will never consider this uncomfortable because he thinks elysium should always be close to him. this is why there are handcuffs involved now.

he opens an eye. ]

I put this on you. I should get to decide when I take it off.

[transmit]

[ help. okay. they just have no boundaries whatsoever now this is fine.

he squints. ]

I told you not to pick up. [ wrong. he said he shouldn't pick up, but elysium has now learned from his mistakes. ] I should get to decide when you stop paying attention to me.

[ their fucked up exchange ]

[oversea]

[ can you even have boundaries at this point? it feels like they are trying to intertwined themselves into each other as much as both physically and emotionally possible.

as always, they need help. ]

Next time say it more firmly.

[transmit]

[ if anyone tries to help them there's going to be a death. it's too late… the only way to fix this is going next and starting all over again from a clean slate. ]

… Okay. I love you too.

[ finally says it back… ]