✧ — peach iced tea.

[boba]

this post is so clean

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[oversea]

[ okay this is going against their contract?

thorns frowns as he peers down at him. ]

What?

[transmit]

[ he stares at thorns and frowns when he doesn't get it. ]

It'll be harder to flirt when we're on the move.

[ an hour is enough rest…… ]

[oversea]

[ an hour is not enough rest. he'll kill you. the expression on his face shares this sentiment. ]

This is cheating.

[ thorns got to nap for three hours... ]

[transmit]

Am I wrong?

[ he cheated before he can cheat again. his fingers curl into back of thorns' head, pulling him down into a kiss. thorns can always knock him out again? there's that option. ]

[oversea]

I'm starting to think I spoil you too much.

[ is this a problem? has thorns been letting elysium get away with things for too long?

the answer is yes, of course. even when thorns complains about elysium's actions, he still just lets him get away with it now. the most they may do is just smack each other but isn't that often followed by kisses to make it better...? this is fucked up. ]

[transmit]

Isn't it fine because I spoil you, too?

[ it feels almost like their roles have flipped. elysium used to overthink every little thing, always worrying about how their relationship might unravel and how it'll come between the many other things they had in their lives. it had seemed easier to stay friends: one less burden for thorns, one less risk for him. it's possible there's a timeline out there where they didn't have to rush headlong into their feelings, where things simply fell into place on their own, but that ship has long sailed.

in this timeline, the only question that mattered was: once he had thorns again, could he ever let go?

the answer is no. whatever he wants to indulge in, whatever thorns craves in return—they've agreed to gracelessly fall together. ]

Kiss me back.

[ he is so openly demanding… he kisses thorns again, adding a bite to it this time. ]

[oversea]

See? Now you know how I felt.

[ when elysium didn't kiss him back before... rude.

but thorns very easily does give in, even though he just commented on how easily he's been doing this. it really doesn't matter if he wonders if they spoil each other too much or not. neither of them are going to change anything about that at this point, so there's no point in thinking about it. ]

You really are pampered.

[transmit]

To be fair, you never said to say it back.

[ there is nothing remotely fair about this. between them, some things are simply meant to be reciprocated, and when they aren't, the silence and inaction cuts deeper than any physical wound ever would. asking outright only peels back another layer of defenses, exposing you further to rejection.

this is where thorns is kinder than him, unfortunately. this is deeply ill. ]

Who made it so I couldn't live without him, huh?

[ he very gently coaxes thorns' mouth open. they are so beyond being vanilla. ]

[oversea]

You're the one who seduced me.

[ imagine how different things may be if elysium never lost his mind that one day when he walked into thorns' lab. especially when you consider that the two of them were actively avoiding each other around that time...

but he easily follows along, shifting so that the two of them can sit more comfortably as this happens. is this the time or place for this? absolutely not. but as always, the threat of getting caught just makes it better. ]

[transmit]

[ i keep getting pinged whenever i get to this tread the world knows it's cursed ]

You could've accepted the señora's offer any time.

[ it wasn't really the lab incident itself or even the series of events leading up to it, more that they, or elysium specifically, was bound to fail the longer thorns spent in his proximity. he'd burned through so much of his sanity and spent the last of his restraint in the previous timeline, it's no wonder he couldn't quite bounce back from teetering on death, having to reconcile with thorns' resigning from his position to become his caretaker, and having to do the most grotesque jump yet from there.

so, they're just wringing every drop out of the time they have. they nearly went twenty-four hours without flirting (delusional); who knows when the next chance will come? at least, they won't be going that far… they really aren't equipped to deal with any messes, and won't be, for some time. this is about to kill them both. ]

[oversea]

[ it's fine... they can makeout.

it is true though, they really can't do much more unless they insanely decide to strip all the way down, which is not something they'd be against but stupidly risky in terms of where they are. imagine getting caught and having to escape naked. ]

How could I, when you're here?

[transmit]

[ imagine if they had to upend their life a second time because they had to escape naked i would simply vanish and never appear again

but yes they can make out, pretend they're chaste, and exchange more intimacy until the sun starts peeking through the clouds and the stir of life picks up from outside the haul. he parts reluctantly, though his arms will keep thorns close.

there are new hickeys. ]

… We should get ready for our moment to disembark, I think.

[ sad ]

[oversea]

I suppose.

[ sad!!!

... sorry, he is going to start kissing elysium again for at least another two minutes before he finally pulls away for real. ]

Let's get our stuff. Put the jacket back on, we can try to blend in with the crew.

[ the good thing about these types of ships is that it's normal for crew to come and go so people may not realize immediately they're not supposed to be here if they're spotted outside of here. the hard part is making it out after the realization does hit. ]

[transmit]

[ elysium is fine with this. if there are consequences for their poor decision-making they can deal—because they have been sooooo good about doing just that. ]

Right ahead of you. We can make it look like we're helping unload cargo?

[ they follow the chain of command and then

nyoom ]

[oversea]

[ once they've gathered their belongings, thorns will go and make sure that there's no one in the passageway immediately in front of their door so they don't get busted ten seconds in. once he's sure to coast if clear, he gestures for elysium to follow...

it sounds like most of the crew is above deck, likely getting everything squared away for docking. there's an odd feeling in his chest watching it. it's funny, since he think he and elysium really could have been happy out at sea together, but the major gap in their ranks was really killing them. ]

[transmit]

[ born to slowburn over decades forced to fastburn in half the time

given the rapport he'd built with the crew in the original timeline over years of sleeping over whenever he was on business with rhodes, it isn't hard to picture it working there too if only things hadn't gone so astray. but that's neither here nor there; when thorns stills in place, elysium only tilts his head.

it isn't the moment to press, so he just taps his shoulder instead. ]

[oversea]

[ oh. he offers a thumbs up to show it's fine!!!

and then just starts walking, moving slow enough so that he won't get too ahead of elysium. they have no idea if the ship is going to be docked for a long period of time or if it's just a quick stop, so it's best to get this over with as soon as possible so they don't get accidentally stuck on this thing for longer than needed. ]

[transmit]

[ does thorns think he's geriatric. why is he moving so slowly. ]

You can go faster… want to just book it?

[ a little adrenaline never hurt anyone ]

[oversea]

... We might as well. When I say go?

[ he reaches over to grab elysium's hand. he cannot afford to lose him even though he is a grown man who is perfectly capable of running on his own without a metaphorical leash. ]

[transmit]

[ if thorns runs off without him he will get lost and they will never find each other again. this is an implausible scenario when thorns has cheater abilities but these are the thoughts that keep them up at night regardless.

he grips thorns' hand back tightly. this is so unnecessary but necessary at the same time. ]

On go. [ echoes back. ] Ready.

[oversea]

Three, two, one... go!

[ and off they go!

there are a few shouts of surprise as they run by, but thorns ignores them all as he pulls elysium along with them. his main concern was getting caught before they docked, but now even if anything happens, he's sure they can take care of it.



pushes someone out of the way!!! onward. ]

[transmit]

[ they aren't exactly putting their heart into the chase either, taking a few half-hearted steps before giving up. over his shoulder he calls for them to check out the part of the ship they'd helped fix and apologises for the trouble, which only leaves them looking even more confused. can't have anyone taking their credit…!

it doesn’t take long before they lose them completely, and by the time they manage to duck around a corner and shake them off— ]

See? No point overthinking it.

[ smooches thorns' cheek. good job. ]

[oversea]

[ well, he won't explain what he was actually thinking about.

thorns returns the kiss and then steps back to look around. where are they, anyway... ]

Should we look around?

[transmit]

[ being a port city makes it easier for them to continue to disappear into crowds. but as much as he'd like to dive straight into exploring— ]

Our disguises first? Dye and a change of clothes? [ before they travel too far and leave too much of a trail. ] The river branches off into smaller streams through the forest; we can check if there's a good spot for us to get to work there?

[oversea]

That works.

[ hm...

it will be faster to find a shop selling clothes, so they will hit that up first. sorry, thorns is going to have to temporarily abandon slutty clothes for a little while and chooses something oversized again with a wraparound cape.

it will be best to go to another shop for the dye. elysium can pick the color he wants. ]