chatime | ✧ — peach iced tea.

[ in theory.

she projects that she got a lot more than what she wanted. is he going to explain?

despite the high-key interrogation vibes exuding from her person, she isn't actually making any attempt to stop thorns or to reclose the door. she just looks very, very intense. the atmosphere is stifling, almost like this in of itself is a test to thorns' person.

elysium will just groan when moved… she adds that she had to use his arts on him so whenever he comes to, he'll likely be a bit scrambled. ]

[ this is funny because she could be mad about like twenty different things because they have done so much insane crap.

he just settles elysium's head on his lap. ]

What do yo want to know exactly?

[ he's really doing this in front of mother. she would look disgusted if she were the type to display such emotion, but she's already heard plenty of what they'd been getting up to when they were back on rhodes.

so, she continues to stare. elysium is not cleared to leave… and will not be cleared to leave for some time. it's almost threat-like. ]

[ oh... ohhh...

well, honestly there are worse things for her to find out, so this is not as bad in comparison. thorns continues to tend to his precious bbbb who has not been a bbbb for some time now. ]

... Understood.

[ a pause, but then he adds. ]

I'm taking care of him.

[ she only stares for a long moment before turning away with a sigh, leaving them to their privacy.

sometime within the next half hour, as he drifts in and out of half-consciousness, his body curls inward, hand pressing tightly against his chest. his breathing quickens, teeth gritting. his arts don't spiral as violently as in the last timeline he remembers, oripathy still in its earlier stages, but use without a catalyst is alarming in its own rate, leaking from the pressure of whatever dream has its hold on him.

it's thorns' move; it should be obvious enough what's happening just from the atmosphere alone.]

Elysium.

[ he does not try to shake him awake in case that freaks him out more, and instead just leans down so that he's talking as close to his ear as he can get from this position. ]

Elysium, it's me. I'm here. We're safe.

[ well safe is debatable when he thinks mantra still wants to kill them but still ]

[ she's staring at a blank piece of paper wondering what the fuck she's going to write on the thing. her life is hell. to make this easier for her she really should just kill her former(?) second-in-command and his boyfriend and pretend that they don't need to stick him in a psychiatric ward.

but, well. out of sight out of mind. ]

That's the problem. You shouldn't… be here… why? [ his hand feels around for thorns. it digs into his arm, pressing bruises into his skin. ] Why do things keep going wrong?

[ mantra should not have pressed on the peculiarities of elysium's knowledge of zeruertza. how had he known what happened to the sniperguard? the mission had gone smoothly, without the need to turn their weapons on their own comrades. with the situation taking a turn for the worst, they can't afford elysium withholding more knowledge.

everything had unraveled, and quickly at that, the moment elysium clammed up. ]

[ thorns doesn't get to move out of his grip, and instead just shifts his position so he can pull him up to his chest. ]

Of course I'm here, we can never be apart, mi luz.

[ he knows that if elysium doesn't calm down then thorns is going to have to sedate him, which is something he'd prefer to avoid with mantra so close by. the absolute last thing thorns wants is for rhodes to decide to watch the pair more closely. ]

Wake up.

[ that is

not the right thing to say! he gets up. or it's more like he staggers up, gaze unfocused. it's as if he doesn't register thorns at all, even if he's very well using him as leverage to come to a stand. ]

I can see…?

[ … not that it matters much in the grand scheme of things. even better that he's able to, as it's about to become clear that he's looking for something. ]

Elysium?

[ he gets up to his feet, wondering what he's doing. the timeline where he was blind feels like so long ago that thorns is making zero connection at all here. ]

What are you doing?

I'm fixing things. You should be on your mission. I know you aren't real…

[ so, leave him alone, is what goes without being said. in the meantime, his flag. where the hell is his flag. he isn't supposed to trust what he sees, so his hands search blindly, brows knitting tighter as his hands trace the wall. ]

… This isn't Rhodes.

[ countdown to thorns needing to knock elysium out.

for now, though, he just follows after him slowly. ]

Because it's not. We're in Higashi on a mission together.

[ as much as he wants to ignore this thorns, convinced he's nothing more than a hallucination come to haunt him, the contents of what he says halts him in his tracks. a throb splits through his skull, forcing him to catch himself against the wall.

…

wait. being in a dream would explain why he can see, why he is no longer at rhodes, and why thorns in particular is currently here and talking to him in a tone that is more reminiscent of when they were lovers than when they were friends. maybe thorns should duel mantra for real? 'scrambled' doesn't quite cut it as a definition. hmm.

he decides the best way to wake himself up would be to pierce his palm with his sword. wahoo. ]

[ WELL. ALRIGHT.

he just grabs a vial from his pocket, opens it, and shoves it up elysium's nose. get knocked out, loser. ]

[ there is absolutely no reason the thorns in his imaginations need to be so ic. why can't they be bbbbs who let him bully them around. instead, he is the one getting bullied. okay.

down he goes, betrayal crossing his features at the last second. goodbye. ]

[ thorns cannot feel bad about this because elysium was being crazy. fuck off.

he will move quickly to catch him, and then sets him back on the ground. he wanders back to where the group is and asks for medical supplies. they ask him if something happened and he needs a medic, but he repeats he only needs supplies.

mantra is going to k word him. ]

[ mantra is most definitely going to kill him as by the time he returns she is just standing over elysium's body wondering if she should finish the job herself? why is there blood everywhere. thorns had one job… this isn't very convincing…

she stares at thorns again. explain. ]

... He was having a nightmare. And then he woke up but still thought he was dreaming.

[ which clearly lead to there being blood everywhere.

thorns realizes this looks insanely bad after he just said that he would look after elysium. he is trying to act like this was just a tiny oopsies... but he will move forward to start to tend to elysium's hand. ]

[ isn't it hilarious how violence somehow isn't the problem here.

the look on her face tells him to try again. there are literally medics right outside the door. thorns!!!! ]

[ okay. thorns thinks he is fine to do this because everyone in medical tells him he is amazing at it, he just prefers to blow things up... he realized it would still be better to let someone with actual healing arts to do it though but he's being clingy after elysium just had an episode.

it's fine. ]

... I got it.

[ okay.

she leaves again after picking up something she'd forgotten one talks too much, the other talks too little; they deserve each other. but just when it seems like she's finally willing to let them be and they're awarded privacy again, a medic steps in, originium wand in hand.

wrong answer, thorns… ]

[ this is a violation of his rights.......

fine. they're just going to have to deal with thorns glaring at them and not moving away from elysium. mantra is going to have to write the worst report of all fucking time after this.

[ the medic's just like. if thorns is going to loiter around he can at least make himself useful by cleaning up? this is an actual squad of veterans, so. thorns cannot bully them like he can 90% of the people he has thus far.

sometimes you are cruelly reminded that you are not a boss in this au…. ]

[ thorns has never missed being a captain more than in this specific moment. life was so much easier when if he told people to leave him alone that they'd actually listen to him.

but he will be helpful even though it's obvious he thinks this is unnecessary. it's funny because if this was a normal squad he'd be more fine but since it's specifically mantra so many warning bells are going off in his head. somehow one of the few people who could tell something is deeply wrong with them is here. ]

[ it's almost impressive they haven't run into more trouble than this and that it's taken them this long to get into any trouble of this kind at all.

the medic patches up elysium's hand, dresses the wound, and leaves virtually nothing for thorns to fuss over. with the work finished, they simply tell him to move the patient to a proper room. now he's the one being ordered around… the price of failing his one job. this is who they want to leave bodyguard detail to? seems unreliable.

but they'll leave after that. sorry thorns. ]

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