chatime | ✧ — peach iced tea.

[ how can they have matching braids if thorns is bald ]

We'll have a chance as we head further into the countryside. Too close to the city and someone’s bound to stumble across us… [ there is simply too much traffic too and from. ] We can save on an inn, too.

[ on the bright side, elysium had the foresight to bring their collapsible tent. on the less bright side (or maybe it's a brighter side…?) there is only a single set of bedding. ]

If we're avoiding roads, it'll be a long trek before we hit our first village. Was there anything else you wanted to pick up?

[ hmm. they stole enough food to last them until then, and they have their medical supplies since it would have been extremely stupid to not have grabbed that from the hotel. thorns wants to get elysium a better weapon but he will concede that has to wait until they have more funds because it's not a priority as long as he currently has one. ]

... I think we're good.

Okay.

[ so begins their cute and wholesome travel montage! one where they aren't running for their lives. elysium slips easily into the role of tour guide, as he always does; the prosperity of yan makes foraging for simpler nutrients easy, and on top of what they have they really could've picked worse for directions to stow away in, plucking berries as they wander along, up until they find a stream for him to rinse them clean against the current.

thank you!! miss shu!! ]

Goji berries. [ he pinches one between two fingers, holding it up to thorns' mouth. this falls under minimal flirting, apparently. ] Say 'ah.'

Ah.

[ they are so annoying.

but he opens his mouth and lets himself be fed. the single blessing is that they are no longer forcing other people to witness them doing things like this, so being on the run does some good in the world. ]

Now you're spoiling me...

There's no point in being together if we don't.

[ he slips another berry past thorns' lips. then another. he'll keep going for as long as thorns indulges him, he's gathered more than enough by now.

still, it's nice. they have a destination of sorts—somewhere to lie low, pick up work, and let the heat of their disappearance fade, but the specifics matter less than the fact they're headed there together. he smiles to himself as he pops a berry into his own mouth. ]

What are you going to do for me?

You want more?

[ this is the greed they talk about in the bible.

also, what happened to the minimal flirting? literally the only thing they are being stopped from is banging like crazy because they don't have that many changes of clothes. ]

Things taste better when they come from you.

[ he's not even sure what 'more' is in this context but he's saying yes anyway

this is beyond the bible they're playing straight out of satan's guidebook. ]

[ thorns doesn't think this is factually true but instead of explaining how taste works, he will feed elysium some berries like a good boyfriend.

... fiance. oh my god when are they getting married. ]

Better?

[ they have been engaged for however many comments by now i don't know what to tell you.

he does the thing where he deliberately licks any juice off of thorns' fingers. ]

Yeah. Definitely sweeter.

[ what is marriage but a piece of paper. they've been acting like they've been married for years since forever ]

[ hmm.

he just reinserts his fingers into elysium's mouth if he tries to pull away.

again, this is not the time or place for this, but here we are. thorns is just going to challenge the notion that they can't flirt. ]

[ oh.

the funniest thing would be if they were doing it on the side of some road, but no, they're at least covered by foliage so the likelihood of anyone driving by and having to witness this is low.

should they be getting distracted like this? his expression seems to suggest he's thinking about it. but then he commits to it anyway because it's what thorns seems to want, so he closes his eyes and runs his tongue along the length of one finger before moving onto the next. okay. ]

[ elysium no, you had the chance to be responsible.

but it should be okay if they only take a few minutes to enjoy themselves...? what better way to motivate themselves than to give themselves a nice break to rest. this is resting.

it's only when elysium gets to every finger that thorns removes his hand to replace it with his own mouth. hi. ]

[ when has elysium been responsible any day of his life in this timeline

he licks into thorns' mouth, keeping thorns close even when they pull apart. ]

Do you get what I mean now?

I think I may need a few more examples.

[ and then it starts raining to get them to stop doing this. ]

[ he is mid-next example when the rain happens and he's just like. okay. looks up to the sky. blames the sky. he is now a hater of the sky. ]

Can you make cover with the Corazonix…?

[ just thinks it can do everything now ]

Are you going to ask me to make a house next?

[ he sighs, and then just grabs elysium's hands and goes to try to find some trees with thicker branches and leaves they can hide away under for now. ]

I guess we should have gotten umbrellas.

[ the world clearly didn’t consider that being stranded in the rain leaves them with little else to do but flirt just in a different place. having to move five or six steps, oh no…

elysium draws thorns against his chest, resting his chin atop his head. ]

If we find a nice lakeside to settle by… maybe? We could build a lab, a garden, even a coop. It'd be nice——having a place we could really call home together.

[ don't say coop, thorns is still trying to figure out how he can go and get his chicken back. he has not forgotten his child after they had to abandon so many other ones... ]

Do you have a particular place in mind?

[ if they want to stay in yan or go elsewhere... ]

Not particularly… somewhere with a milder climate would make things easier for us, though. So I guess staying here could be an option.

[ their chicken that won't be born for another few years if they're sticking to the original timeline and conditions thorns please. they'll have to get a new chicken. it won't be as beloved as the first child, but its siblings will just have to live with that.

he thinks about how this just outright rules out iberia. fuck iberia ]

But we should stll see what other places have to offer first. Maybe there'll be one that feels right to you.

[ lmao ]

[ thorns has abandoned so many children he can't keep doing this bursts into tears

but yan is nice, it's true. he is unsure about the idea of staying somewhere forever, mostly because as much as elysium says all he needs is thorns to be happy, thorns would still like for him to have other things. he enjoyed traveling so thorns would like to make sure he still travels...

although they could go on long vacations, he supposes. hmmm. ]

We can look around.

Mm. We gotta circle back, though.

[ he pauses, turning thorns around so he can peer into his face. ]

So you could build a house? I can be additional labour.

You can't do work. You're a housewife.

[ thorns just decided this right now. ]

[ HELLO ]

What? If anything, I'm the breadwinner. You're supposed to stay home and enjoy your hobbies? [ like this is obvious? ] That's what the lab's for.

[ they are going to fight over this. ]

[ help

thorns just shakes his head. ]

I'd like to come home to you wearing only an apron.

[ no further arguments. ]

[ thorns is stealing his fantasies ]

We can take turns.

[ argues anyway, laying a hand on thorns' shoulder and tightening his grip. ]

But I also want you to ask if I want dinner or a bath first—so I can pick the third option: you.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject