✧ — peach iced tea.

[boba]

this post is so clean

Comments

[transmit]

[ literally anyone with eyes can see how wrong thorns is this is so distressing. the way i spent like five minutes deliberating who to yoink for this but assigns rafayel as one of the +1s who now have a vested interest in how this turns out…

i have no idea how to play rafayel except that he's a nosy binch. he personally texts thorns, clearly ready to take a page out of elysium's playbook and annoy this man into reluctant friendship just to dig up the truth i guess. ]

People really are bored these days…

[ all the notifications. wowie.

meanwhile my head swivels to all the gossip in office au. the way i fell off of tagging it but still follow it like it's my morning paper… ]

[oversea]

[ is anyone making out in it.

but thorns is just ??? why is someone texting him personally he didn't go to this wedding to make friends. hello. ]

They'll move onto something else eventually.

[transmit]

[ wrioha but they moved it to dana's musebox what a mood

also, is he just going to reject rafayel's friend request… or ignore it… that is not how you get annoying people to stop thorns has the biggest example of that right next to him. ]

I hope so… But I wouldn't be so sure about it, either.

[ then, he kind of just sighs, like oh well. ]

[oversea]

[ he is just ignoring it for now.

thorns glances over at him, not responding right away. eventually though, he will take the leap. ]

Sorry about all of that.

[transmit]

Uh huh.

[ he will not tell thorns not to worry about it because clearly he already is. so, instead, he'll try to make it as small of a deal as possible. ]

Just know you owe me another favour.

[oversea]

[ he wants to argue against this just from reflex, but he also is aware he is not really in the position for that. it's thorns' fault they were even there in the first place.

or in this situation to begin with. ]

... What kind?

[transmit]

Who knows? I want to have it hang over your head for a while. You can handle it.

[ when h*rny isn't a solution to all their problems they have to get creative. creative in this case being pvp nine times out of ten, but hey… it works. ]

[oversea]

[ oh he is so annoying. thorns stares at that steering wheel like he truly is considering just changing the trajectory of their lives forever. ]

You really have problems.

[transmit]

[ there is no forseeable future in either of these threads where elysium will stop being annoying

but he does feel the weight of thorns' stare on the wheel. ]

Don't even think about it. I'd like to save dying with someone for the love of my life, thanks.

[ the irony of this. the more they make jokes of this type, the more comfortable they'll get around each other again, right? ]

[oversea]

[ hmm.

he turns and looks out the window instead. is it messed up that the reminder that elysium doesn't like him anymore bothers him? maybe. but all weekend he's been constantly bonbarded with the topic that he can't really help but think about it. ]

Yeah. I wouldn't want to take that from your girlfriend.

[transmit]

[ bits and pieces of the night before come back and he feels ill. at this rate, he really will crash out again and find a random girlfriend……

it still feels weird coming out of thorns' mouth. at the same time, what is there to do but get used to it? ]

… The best friend's speech at the wedding was pretty powerful. You better not make me cry at mine.

[oversea]

[ he doesn't want to give this speech... but he knows he will have to... the idea that elysium still considers thorns his best friend is enough to make him feel somewhat better at least. ]

I don't think I can write something that emotional.

[transmit]

The fact that you'd be willing to get up there at all is amazing in its own way, man.

[ would that be enough to get him emotional? probably. he's getting emotional just thinking about it, oops. ]

But going up there just to say congratulations would be so you. It'd get such a laugh out of everyone I wouldn't even be mad.

[oversea]

[ okay...

he almost turns to look at elysium but manages not to. ]

I haven't even met her yet.

[ he hopes he sounds casual when he brings this up. ]

[transmit]

[ oh my god

he nearly bursts into tears on the spot. this is where he ends their lives except inadvertently. ]

… You want to?

[ thorns? willingly meeting someone new? hello??? ]

[oversea]

Unless there's a reason I shouldn't?

[ thorns is currently of the opinion that elysium does not want thorns to meet his girlfriend, which may imply he does not want thorns involved in that part of his life. which makes sense? but it's still difficult to sit with. ]

[transmit]

[ his hidden complex where he thinks thorns will seduce his non-existent girlfriend ]

I just didn't think you'd be interested. You usually aren't about the people I hang out with.

[ sure, a girlfriend isn't just anyone, but at the same time—they're in college. a girlfriend's a girlfriend, not necessarily someone he'll marry. he can't help but wonder if his cousin warped his perspective on it a little. ]

Did you just want to say hi…?

[ this is so weird. his face is openly like, 'this is so weird?' but he's doing his best not to express it any more than that. ]

[oversea]

Uh. Never mind, I didn't think it would be that much of an issue.

[ he assumes if it was fine elysium would just say sure and take them all out to lunch or something like how he'd try to introduce him to more people in the past. so clearly, the hesitation means elysium does not want this meeting to happen.

thorns will simply never bring it up again. ]

[transmit]

It's not.

[ said a little too quickly!!!!!!! it IS and he is about to dig himself into a hole he can never get out of. but he also thinks this is the only means he can move on properly so

okay. ]

You caught me off guard, that's all. As long as you know what you're signing up for, it means I get to meet the person who manages to catch your eye. Wow… what kind of weirdo would that take? I gotta know.

[ if they're prettier than him he will die. if they're less pretty than him he will also die. he will die either way but there is one route where he will die less, although that is absolutely cope.

the ideal scenario? that he's actually het. that would instantly make him feel better about everything thank you ]

[oversea]

Oh...

[ he really does not think that scenario is going to happen, but okay.

the way everyone else is like wow elysium is head over heels and meanwhile thorns is just, 'he really got over me wow'

he finally stops looking out the window and turns to face elysium. ]

You'd just be disappointed.

[transmit]

[ is this is how elysium dies in this au. he gets into a loveless marriage and spends the rest of his life pining and then i kill him… or he gets hit with hanahaki and keels over himself? goodbye. ]

You keep saying that. Should I adopt you instead? I'm not leaving you alone again.

[ idly runs his hand along the wheel. ]

[oversea]

[ hmmm. somehow this offer is horrible, thanks.

he can't help but make a face at it. ]

No thanks.

[transmit]

No together forever as besties? And here I thought you were getting such a sick deal out of living with me. That was such a fast rejection, stone cold.

[ at the low, low price of rarely having restful weekends, that is. to me this would be the shittiest deal in existence.

but still, it just accentuates the fact that they only have so much more time like this together. that in of itself is a reason he should
learn to let go. ]

… You really don't imagine yourself being with anyone in the future?

[ in contrast to his earlier words, he asks it quietly, stripped of his usual teasing. it doesn't have to be in the romantic sense; for all his antisocial tendencies, thorns still gets lonely like anyone else. but even as his best friend, elysium has to accept there are some things he simply can't fix or intervene in because of his own circumstances on top of it. it's frustrating. ]

[oversea]

[ even as a joke, even thorns is aware of how insanely awkward it would be to live with elysium while he is presumably living with his wife. it would be much easier to just put thorns out of his misery.

... but what a question. one that thorns isn't sure how to answer without making things potentially worse. ]

Not anymore, no.

[ he's sure most people would just respond with it'll happen eventually. the idea doesn't seem that exciting when he looks at what the options look like at the moment. ]

[transmit]

Not anymore…

[ the idle stroking stills, fingers curling tighter into the wheel until he's left with a grip. if it weren't for the audio book still playing in the background, this would be so much more awkward. thanks, kaladin, for coming in clutch. ]

So there was someone?