[ No toast is fine. Hien gets some vodka for himself. That cask-strength whiskey... stronger than vodka... okay Elysium. Hien wonders what made him change his mind. ]
"I guess you're still cute now, but in a different way."
he poured two glasses for a reason, hien… he simply swaps his vodka for one of the whisky glasses and drinks that, too, offering no additional comment on being cute. stupid. ]
[ Hien would have thought that other glass was for himself, and then Elysium swipes his glass of vodka... okay... He quietly takes the other cup of cask-strength whiskey and drinks it. ]
"... I know I suggested this, but I didn't want you to get shitfaced."
[ Okay!! Let's get the sick guy to drink like this despite his high tolerance! Hien is having mixed feelings, but yeah. Sure. He drinks the second shot. ]
[ makes that three shots. this is heading in the same direction as the very first party.
also, he really needs people to stop thinking about his illness more than he does. it's inconvenient, uncomfortable, and it absolutely harshes the vibe. ]
What are you, a genie in a lamp? Just relax and go with the flow. Stop thinking about what you can do for other people.
[ Stop thinking what he can do for other people? But.
But!!!
Well, Hien finds himself at a loss. This entire thing was for Elysium, even if he framed it as himself selfishly wanting a date. He's not that selfless, but what does he do when his selfishness is tied to wanting to see others get better? Or at least feel better in the moment?
... ]
"... I'm not a wish granter, but I try to be... I guess."
I'm not interested in things I don't have to work for, that's all. If it bothers you, I won't take offense to you spending your energy elsewhere.
[ …
he thinks about his decade-long friendship with thorns and ends up downing another shot. as it turns out, he's perfectly capable of harshing his own vibe. ]
It's enough to have company. At the end of the day, we're all on our own journeys.
[ He looks at Elysium taking another shot and doesn't stop him. He wonders what he's thinking. Elysium must always be thinking of something. This overthinker. Then again, this is how people live and he can't change that if they don't want to.
Well.
He could, by force, but he'd prefer not to. ]
"It doesn't mean people have to go alone on said journey."
… You're shockingly optimistic for someone who's so long-lived. It's not that I disagree.
[ the shots will keep coming and coming for both sides unless hien really decides to stage an intervention. until elysium is left a laughing mess, cheek pressed against the bartop—he doesn't intend to stop. ]
Just sometimes, you accept that the path you take pulls you away from others, regardless of how often it briefly aligns with theirs.
[ After the ninth shot, he finally intervenes. Hien sighs, clearing the counter. No more cups. No more drinks. ]
"I know."
[ He knows that too well. Hien thinks about all the lives that he's affected throughout his existence, which he remembers most of them... even if he needs his memory aid from time to time. They're fond memories of people he favored. ]
"Sometimes you get sick of being jaded for too long that you circle back to wanting some hope again. C'mon... you drank too much."
[ Even if Elysium was super healthy, Hien thinks this is too much. Your high tolerance doesn't make you immune to alcohol poisoning. He tries to get Elysium to start walking to one of the rooms by the hand. ]
[ thanks for letting it get far enough for him to be pleasantly buzzed. he's pliant enough to let himself be pulled up, body swaying just the slightest bit as he rises to his feet. with the warmth of alcohol settling over him, he gives hien a lazy grin. ]
None of this really matters when it'll be far from being the thing that does me in.
[ and that's just the truth of it, his hand lifting to tangle into hien's hair as he shifts his weight deliberately, using it as leverage to drag him back down onto the stool. he misses, elbows propping against the table instead with his back hitting the ledge of it—but that's fine. he collides their mouths anyway, rough and carelessly, barely a kiss at all. ]
Why go anywhere else when we can stay here? You seemed pretty excited by the idea of doing something in public the other week.
[ Then all that happens so quick. When their lips meet, it's barely a kiss. Hien has trouble returning the gesture and makes a slightly quiet frustrated sound. ]
"I wasn't excited by that... I was like that because of you."
[ his hand finds hien's chin, his thumb settling along its curve. he doesn't rush it this time, just tilts his face up before capturing his mouth again, far more softly than before.
with a thoughtful pause before his next movement, his teeth brush hien's lip in a careful scrape, as if to gently coax him to open up instead of using force. an illusion of intimacy, perhaps. ]
[ He feels like a goner the moment Elysium tilts his head up by the chin with his face turning a slight pink at the cheeks from the action alone. The illusion of intimacy is so strong that Hien can't help but to let it wash over him as something he wants, even if he thinks it's not real. He returns the kiss, gentle but full of want. There's no denying that he feels needy right now, but still. In public? Like this? ]
"Elysium..."
[ He breathes out, parting his lips. His hand holds onto Elysium's sleeve, tight. ]
hien is straightforward at a time when everything else in his life isn't, pads of his fingers brushing along his cheek as their kiss deepens naturally. there's something almost coquettish in the way his eyes go half-lidded before closing fully, intent on exploring the familiarity of hien's mouth.
why not in public? where everyone can see, and talk? … it doesn't need to be everyone. it's enough that a handful of people do for the rumour mill to start churning. ]
Is this enough for you? [ he pulls back just slightly, breathless, but not without punctuating the question with another tender kiss to his mouth, similar to a peck. then, close to his ear with his voice dipped in warmth— ] Hien?
[ not 'enough' in the sense of being finished, but whether what little he has to give might be enough at all, his face warm and nicely flushed pink. maybe the alcohol is helpful in more ways than one. ]
[ If there's anything about Hien, it's that he's mostly straightforward and will continue to be unless he recognizes it as a detriment of what he wants to do. When he watches Elysium pull back a little with another kiss and then--
He tenses and shudders when Elysium speaks close to his ear. His eyes shut tight for a second. But is it enough? No, it's never enough. He always wants more. If it's a good thing, he always wants more of it until the supply is exhausted or he thinks he's satisfied. His gluttony and greed go hand-in-hand--absolutely voracious. ]
"But is it... enough for you?"
[ Despite his two worst sins trying to fight to breach the surface in the form of words that try to escape Hien's mouth, he tampers it down. Elysium comes before all that.]
[ contrast it with someone who wants very little for himself and hien has a disaster on his hands. but elysium hums. pretends he doesn't hear that hesitation, even. just leans his head against hien like it's an incredibly innocuous gesture. ]
[ has he considered not asking questions because hien will answer them in a way that might make elysium uncomfortable because of how he is ]
"Because I have a feeling that you seek physical intimacy out more than I do."
[ All Hien did was chastely kiss Elysium that one time and Elysium initiated sex the next time they met privately. Hien suggested a date, just a regular outing--even if he can't really complain if this is happening too. But still, he wants more. He wants more than just carnal experiences with Elysium. ]
Mm. I'm trying to be fair. That's why I asked whether this is enough for you.
[ he only looks at hien, lifting his hand to lace their fingers together before their eyes. he doesn't quite kiss it, just rests his forehead against the back. ]
[ Not just carnally, but maybe one day, Elysium will accept that--or at least, those are Hien's hopes. He's also used to having his hopes dashed, but this is not about him. He tilts his head so that he can go around their hands to kiss his cheek. ]
[ there's probably something to be said about how this is all 'elysium' is meant to be. elysium, the rhodes island operator, the man who'd wanted to be a messenger until he didn't, who lives his life flitting from one place to the next just so he leaves no imprint.
he doesn't think he's done anything with hien worth remembering. he isn't meant to be a star. ]
Missing isn't how you get more of me.
[ he tilts his head, too, to catch hien's mouth with his own.
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[ No toast is fine. Hien gets some vodka for himself. That cask-strength whiskey... stronger than vodka... okay Elysium. Hien wonders what made him change his mind. ]
"I guess you're still cute now, but in a different way."
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he poured two glasses for a reason, hien… he simply swaps his vodka for one of the whisky glasses and drinks that, too, offering no additional comment on being cute. stupid. ]
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"... I know I suggested this, but I didn't want you to get shitfaced."
[ YOU MIXED DRINKS!!! ]
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[ he pours hien more whiskey. no one said anything about hien not getting shit-faced, though. ]
Having a high tolerance blows when you're specifically trying to pre-game. Let me live.
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"I can help you with that if you want me to."
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also, he really needs people to stop thinking about his illness more than he does. it's inconvenient, uncomfortable, and it absolutely harshes the vibe. ]
What are you, a genie in a lamp? Just relax and go with the flow. Stop thinking about what you can do for other people.
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But!!!
Well, Hien finds himself at a loss. This entire thing was for Elysium, even if he framed it as himself selfishly wanting a date. He's not that selfless, but what does he do when his selfishness is tied to wanting to see others get better? Or at least feel better in the moment?
... ]
"... I'm not a wish granter, but I try to be... I guess."
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[ …
he thinks about his decade-long friendship with thorns and ends up downing another shot. as it turns out, he's perfectly capable of harshing his own vibe. ]
It's enough to have company. At the end of the day, we're all on our own journeys.
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Well.
He could, by force, but he'd prefer not to. ]
"It doesn't mean people have to go alone on said journey."
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[ the shots will keep coming and coming for both sides unless hien really decides to stage an intervention. until elysium is left a laughing mess, cheek pressed against the bartop—he doesn't intend to stop. ]
Just sometimes, you accept that the path you take pulls you away from others, regardless of how often it briefly aligns with theirs.
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"I know."
[ He knows that too well. Hien thinks about all the lives that he's affected throughout his existence, which he remembers most of them... even if he needs his memory aid from time to time. They're fond memories of people he favored. ]
"Sometimes you get sick of being jaded for too long that you circle back to wanting some hope again. C'mon... you drank too much."
[ Even if Elysium was super healthy, Hien thinks this is too much. Your high tolerance doesn't make you immune to alcohol poisoning. He tries to get Elysium to start walking to one of the rooms by the hand. ]
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None of this really matters when it'll be far from being the thing that does me in.
[ and that's just the truth of it, his hand lifting to tangle into hien's hair as he shifts his weight deliberately, using it as leverage to drag him back down onto the stool. he misses, elbows propping against the table instead with his back hitting the ledge of it—but that's fine. he collides their mouths anyway, rough and carelessly, barely a kiss at all. ]
Why go anywhere else when we can stay here? You seemed pretty excited by the idea of doing something in public the other week.
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[ Then all that happens so quick. When their lips meet, it's barely a kiss. Hien has trouble returning the gesture and makes a slightly quiet frustrated sound. ]
"I wasn't excited by that... I was like that because of you."
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Then, how about something like this?
[ his hand finds hien's chin, his thumb settling along its curve. he doesn't rush it this time, just tilts his face up before capturing his mouth again, far more softly than before.
with a thoughtful pause before his next movement, his teeth brush hien's lip in a careful scrape, as if to gently coax him to open up instead of using force. an illusion of intimacy, perhaps. ]
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"Elysium..."
[ He breathes out, parting his lips. His hand holds onto Elysium's sleeve, tight. ]
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hien is straightforward at a time when everything else in his life isn't, pads of his fingers brushing along his cheek as their kiss deepens naturally. there's something almost coquettish in the way his eyes go half-lidded before closing fully, intent on exploring the familiarity of hien's mouth.
why not in public? where everyone can see, and talk? … it doesn't need to be everyone. it's enough that a handful of people do for the rumour mill to start churning. ]
Is this enough for you? [ he pulls back just slightly, breathless, but not without punctuating the question with another tender kiss to his mouth, similar to a peck. then, close to his ear with his voice dipped in warmth— ] Hien?
[ not 'enough' in the sense of being finished, but whether what little he has to give might be enough at all, his face warm and nicely flushed pink. maybe the alcohol is helpful in more ways than one. ]
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He tenses and shudders when Elysium speaks close to his ear. His eyes shut tight for a second. But is it enough? No, it's never enough. He always wants more. If it's a good thing, he always wants more of it until the supply is exhausted or he thinks he's satisfied. His gluttony and greed go hand-in-hand--absolutely voracious. ]
"But is it... enough for you?"
[ Despite his two worst sins trying to fight to breach the surface in the form of words that try to escape Hien's mouth, he tampers it down. Elysium comes before all that.]
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Why wouldn't it be?
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"Because I have a feeling that you seek physical intimacy out more than I do."
[ All Hien did was chastely kiss Elysium that one time and Elysium initiated sex the next time they met privately. Hien suggested a date, just a regular outing--even if he can't really complain if this is happening too. But still, he wants more. He wants more than just carnal experiences with Elysium. ]
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[ he only looks at hien, lifting his hand to lace their fingers together before their eyes. he doesn't quite kiss it, just rests his forehead against the back. ]
If it isn't, that's just how it is.
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[ Not just carnally, but maybe one day, Elysium will accept that--or at least, those are Hien's hopes. He's also used to having his hopes dashed, but this is not about him. He tilts his head so that he can go around their hands to kiss his cheek. ]
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he doesn't think he's done anything with hien worth remembering. he isn't meant to be a star. ]
Missing isn't how you get more of me.
[ he tilts his head, too, to catch hien's mouth with his own.
cheeky. ]
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"Then how? Will you tell me?"
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Things either work out, or they don't. That's life, isn't it?
[ a hand around hien's, and then a tug. ]
Let's go.
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"Where are we going--"
[ A room? To actually do what they mentioned earlier? He tries to stay quiet anyway, not wanting to expect much. ]
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