chatime | ✧ — peach iced tea.

Aren't you just taking your disappointment out on me?

[ hmm. they would not be in this position to begin with if they did not have to impress other people. another point in living in a hemirtage's favour.

they have not even been here for a full day. ]

Maybe we're working too hard.

[ they also have not even worked for a full hour. okay. ]

[ they haven't even done anything yet and they're already backtracking on plans.

thorns shakes his head. ]

We have to work hard now so we can relax later...

[ their plans to retire... they can't do that until they have money... ]

[ he looks at thorns like he's told him the worst thing in the world. ]

Why would you tell me this…

[ like he doesn't already know………… ]

It's the truth...

[ he tries to lean in to kiss him except it's

really difficult with their kills over their shoulders. ]

Our bath is soon.

[ he tries to close the rest of the distance except his kill pulls him right back.

he's ready to end it all, he thinks. ]

The bath doesn't exist. It's a shower…

[ oh...

they can still save this. it's fine. ]

We can still wash each other in the shower.

[ they just can't romantically sit on each other's lap in it. but it's fine? they can salvage this. ]

[ they are in such a tiny village the showers are probably tiny. there is a nonzero chance they won't fit or that it'll be supremely uncomfortable, but they'll make it work. what are they living for if they can't flirt to their heart's content? ]

Don't forget what you've promised.

[ he adjusts his grip, disgruntled. it is such a long way back having to drag these things as opposed to being able to wheel them off, but the pay off is that the villagers are thoroughly impressed. they get a whole banquet dinner… woah…

but they are also assigned to peeling vegetables. elysium is extremely grumpy in a way that only thorns is likely able to tell, up until the couple tells them about an open-air hot spring a small distance away that they should make use of after their long day. they deserve it. never mind! life is great. he peels the vegetables with such renewed vigour. ]

[ the absolute worst part of all of this is that thorns just finds elysium cute. is he annoying? yes. but that is also part of the charm now, because would he be elysium if he wasn't a pain in the ass? no. so it's all cute...

so he will just quietly peel away, occasionally bumping softly against elysium as a way to say hi. ]

You look cute.

[ forget helping out at the clinic; thorns needs to see a doctor himself. elysium just reciprocates the bump, humming brightly. ]

We get our bath.

[ he has said this four times by now. ]

We do.

[ he kisses his cheek, which he also likely has done every single time elysium has said this. ]

See? Things always work out.

[ this was just luck. ]

[ this is too pure for the reality of what the bath represents and entails.

hehe… he kisses thorns back. ]

Only because you're with me.

[ it was just luck. attributes everything good in his life ever to thorns. ]

We should sneak away when we're done. They don't need us here… besides, we're tired.

[ this is so weird. excuses themselves early from their own dinner, but listen… his private bath time with thorns. that's what's important. ]

[ they can maybe get away with saying they're tired but if they are all over each other during dinner then everyone in china will know they're gay.

thorns looks at the pile of veggies they still have to go through. life is hard when you have a job (they are used to having jobs). ]

What do you think of it here?

[ everyone in china already thinks they're gay and are gossiping about them as they speak. ]

… For now, it's as good as it gets. [ they need money… except, the countryside isn't where it's at if they want to make a lot of it. ] But if you're asking if it's better relative to where we were before, yeah. I'd say it is. It's more peaceful.

[ it's an awfully detached way of putting it, but that's the truth. back at rhodes, their roles rarely gave them room to idly talk and flirt unless they were off of missions. every so often, elysium slips thorns a piece of carrot, celery—whatever raw vegetable doesn't taste like hell. ]

You?

[ it's like he's feeding his pet gerbil...

it's hard to believe that there was a time where elysium felt bad about the idea of leaving rhodes for thorns, and look where they are on. but entirely as long as nothing bad continues to happen, thorns will keep believing they made the right move. ]

They're very noisy.

[ why did they immediately leap to party. hopefully this is not a typical occurrence. ]

[ who needs romeo when they have el thornsio

it is funny how wherever they go there are parties though. thinks about how i had to write like three party logs in less than a year in syn… 'they' yea ]

This is probably the most exciting thing that's happened to them in a while. They made a pretty big fuss over what we brought back… my guess is most of their meat usually comes delivered from the next town over.

Maybe job security here isn't as difficult as we thought?

Mm. There's not a lot of people around our age.

[ the group that invited them, and a few others, but not really enough that might guarantee the future of this place once the elders start passing away; it seems like they're worried about them moving out too, which might be why they're excited to have strong men show up. ]

I doubt too many of them have had proper training, too.

[ he very casually feeds thorns' a piece of lettuce. his questionable favourite.

… ]

Are you thinking of taking up teaching again?

Only if you're also doing it.

[ granted, it would probably be helpful if they did, because that way the town wouldn't be relying solely on them, which means less time for themselves in the long-run... and it would also mean there will be less of a fuss whenever they decide to leave. ]

[ this is how everyone around them dies instead of each other. this is fine… sometimes sacrifices are necessary.

elysium does think of their stint with the reserves. thorns seems to have moved on fine? rationalising worst case scenarios when they pick up prorteges is deeply ill, but this is where they're at. ]

Anything we find will be together. Why not?

[ it is such a simple sentence to make, but it is so wrong at the same time. he sets down his knife to wrap his arms around thorns' waist, gently pulling him in. ]

I need to recharge…

[ thorns is doing his best not to think about it :)

but he goes with the pull easily enough, hugging him around his shoulders. it's only their first day here, so they have no real way to tell how things will go in an extended period of time. but it seems... okay?

more importantly, it looks like they managed to get away from anyone who might have been following them. not that small towns are definitely safer than a city, considering what had happened in small towns in other timelines, but they can at least learn all the faces so they can watch out for someone new. they can do it. ]

Tired?

There's a lot to think about.

[ which is true. holding thorns in his arms is about equivalent to petting a fluffy animal. it makes everything else seem so far away and inconsequential with the world underneath him.

if only their problems started and ended with being on the run, but for the time being, they can just focus on themselves and the moment. he presses his face into thorns' hair—familiar and unfamiliar all at the same time, much like the situation they're in. ]

If anything comes up, you have to promise me you won't try to solve it alone.

You need to promise it too.

[ technically, the reason that lead to them running away was elysium deciding to handle a problem by himself and he chose the absolute most extreme way to do it. thorns thinks that he needs to promise that more than thorns does...

it's funny, because he can go a while without thinking about that, and then every now and then the memory hits him. to think that elysium was once closer to them. ]

[ he just holds onto thorns more tightly. ]

I promise. But you have to keep your eye on me. You won't blame me for not being perfect, will you? Old habits die hard.

[ another kiss to thorns' person; at least he's self-aware. this is an insane ask, but he genuinely thinks thorns should always be with him—so he can always be with thorns. it's a win-win.

he chooses this moment to knock their heads together, take a step back, and unwind to get back to the task at hand. apparently, recharging now encompasses dropping unhinged dialogue! fun. ]

[ this is all healthy and won't get them in trouble later, because absolutely nothing about this mindset can go wrong.

but thorns will also quietly finish up here. thorns isn't sure how early elysium wants to skip out. they should at least stay long enough to actually eat, since they haven't really had much since they left and honestly, it would probably be more difficult to excuse themselves if they've barely touched their plates. but he knows elysium's patience for these things is becoming thinner than thorns' these days.

probably because thorns is already used to sitting through things he doesn't care for and elysium is more used to trying to be polite about it. it's an easier adjustment for thorns than it was for elysium, who just swung wildly in the opposite direction. ]

[ it was fine when the only one paying the price for his fixation was himself. but now that he's crossed the point of no return in realising how little anything else matters, why keep pretending they do? especially after thorns has already proven that no matter how unhinged elysium gets, he's just——accepted it. thanks, buddy.

he isn't exactly quiet over dinner, but the sense of unease is there, propping up pretenses without a shred of authenticity. and while one could argue elysium's always had a sort of pretense to him, there was that baseline instinct of wanting to know people, care for them, even if their paths only crossed for a moment and were a mere footnote on a page of his journey.

to his credit, he makes it through the whole dinner. if not for himself, then for the same reason thorns has considered himself: when was the last time they had a meal? thorns needs to eat well… ]

Mm. [ he rises quietly, palms pressed to the table before straightening. the smile he wears is warm enough, slightly tired at its edges. it's meant for their hosts more than anything. ] I think it's about time we head out. This kind of thing's easy for us, so if you want it to be a regular thing just let us know. We are looking for work, heheh.

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