Event Six.

[awashmods]

If you see this hairy creature Your first choice should always be to run Otherwise you had better hope You have silver bullets in a gun.

he full moon hangs brightly over the Town, hovering so low that it almost feels as though you could reach out and touch it. It should be comforting. But as the howl of wolves fills the air, it's anything but. There are werewolves on the prowl, and their target is very clear -- the Town won't be able to last without your help. Welcome to Awash's sixth event log, everyone! Further information on this event can be found here at the OOC post. You are welcome to start your own posts or logs for this event as well. If there are any questions, please ask them here. Thank you!

Comments

[passio]

[ dextera will invite guren into the pile properly once he’s not flustered over being teased. leave him alone!! ]

I loved it. [ he says it again, more confident. ] Warm.

[ it’s even warmer sleeping next to a big fluffy bird, true, but there’s no substitute for a mattress and another human being. that kind of warmth can’t be replicated. ]

[swordfucker]

Haha.

[Guren can't help but laugh again, leaning back just... on the floor, on his back. "Enough to want to do it again?" he wants to ask, but instead he stares up at the ceiling, letting his small smile fade away.

Remember, don't get too lost in this. Don't get too distracted. Mahiru is a lot more quiet now, thanks to his drugs, but that doesn't mean he can forget.]

Good. I'm glad you loved it. I slept pretty well, too.

[passio]

[ dextera misses the way guren’s smile fades, in lieu of trying to settle himself down. back against the chocobo’s feathers, surrounded by chickens… and tomorrow morning, as always, damian will come by so dextera can make sure he’s unhurt. ]

…

[ dextera nudges guren with his foot. ]

Pillow?

[swordfucker]

[He looks over at the nudge, visibly hesitating as he considers. He'd like to, of course...]

You don't have to worry about me. [He's...fine...!!! And hetero] You've got enough pillows for the both of us, and I don't think they care for me.

[passio]

They do.

[ dextera doesn’t know that for a fact, but he’s convinced that there’s no one in the world who could dislike guren. he would be wrong to think that, but he’s convinced nevertheless!!

he gestures for guren to join him. ]

[swordfucker]

[Guren stares at the gesture for a little too long before he finally gives in. He can't say no and have Dextera thinking something is wrong, in the end, so he scoots over, but tries not to get too close.

It's a little hard, with this set up. They're pretty close, anyway.]

Happy?

[passio]

[ dextera is happy, but he’s not oblivious to the fact that guren is trying to keep a distance despite everything. is it because dextera pushed him away earlier? he’s not sure. ]

…

[ he nods, forcing himself to relax back against the soft, warm feathers of the chocobo. ]

Thank you.

[ not just for coming to cuddle with the birds, but for coming to check on him at all—he felt himself getting too close to doing things he doesn’t want to do, and guren’s interruption has distracted him. ]

[swordfucker]

You mean for shoving my way into your house?

[He smirks a little when he says it, pleased with himself. He leans back and relaxes himself, his fingers already itching to hold Dextera's hand. It reaches to pet the chocobo he's leaning against, instead.]

That's what friends are for, I'm pretty sure. At least, mine always did that.

[passio]

[ dextera breathes out a laugh despite himself. he didn’t like it when guren first pushed himself in, but now, he’s really glad that it happened. as he should have expected, being alone isn’t good for him. ]

Next time. I’ll do that.

[ he pets the chocobo, too, close enough to guren’s hand that he could touch guren with his pinky, if he stretched for it. he doesn’t. ]

[swordfucker]

[It's weird how Guren is holding himself back but he's wondering why Dextera isn't reaching out for him. It eats at him, and he tries to ignore it for now.]

Haha. I'd like to see you try something like that.

[He could apologize, say he's sorry he scared Dextera, but he's not. He knows it had to be done to get to him, and he did what he had to do. They're fine now, and drawing attention to his fear now will just make him go back to feeling worse.]

[passio]

[ there’s a conversation happening underneath the words they’re speaking, and dextera notices it with a painful clarity—he almost doesn’t hear what guren is saying, over the sound of his silly, selfish desire.

since he started learning sign language, he hasn’t needed to touch guren’s hand as often. there’s nothing stopping him now, either, no curse or punishment, and yet… ]

…

[ dextera bites the bullet, here, and hooks his pinky around guren’s where both of their hands are against the chocobo’s feathers. with his other, he answers the verbal conversation they’re having, but it feels less important. ]

I will.

[swordfucker]

[That conversation is as good as over when Dextera reaches to touch his hand. It's a relief, and he forgets about the teasing, the words, the signs. He shifts his hand, instead, squeezing their joined pinkies before he gets greedy and links all of their fingers, pulling their hands down between them.

There's no need to pretend to pet the chocobo anymore.

It's so tense, and he still won't say a thing about that. He can't. Not now, not ever. But... just this should be fine, he thinks. He hopes.]

I'm not going anywhere now.

[passio]

[ dextera adores guren so much it makes his chest ache—it’s not like the dull, empty pain of missing his brother. it’s like his body can’t contain how much he wants to be around guren, his ribs forced out of place by the swell of affection he feels every time they touch.

he shouldn’t say anything, though. guren has enough on his plate, now and always. ]

…good.

[swordfucker]

If you were feeling this bad, you should have contacted me.

[One way or another. Laptop, looking for him, he'd take any of it. His thumb smooths over Dextera's hand as he holds it.]

...Not that I think it's wrong that you were wary. I just would have come sooner.

[passio]

[ dextera knows that, consciously. guren doesn’t mind being bothered with things, as long as they’re real problems—but it’s hard to think of himself as having any “real problems” when he can just as easily solve them by sitting in the dark in his room, with the birds surrounding him for protection. ]

You’re busy.

[ that’s not what he wants to say, but he can’t find the words for the actual sentiment he wants to express. so, “you’re busy” it is. ]

[swordfucker]

[That gets Guren to stare at Dextera in slight confusion. He doesn't like that, that reasoning... And so he speaks immediately, without thinking.]

I'm never going to be too busy for you, Dextera.

[passio]

…

[ what did dextera do to deserve someone like this? he doesn’t even have guren in any sense, but they’re friends, and guren is a better friend to him that he’s ever known in his life. it doesn’t feel fair, when dextera can’t offer him anything half as nice in return.

he squeezes guren’s hand, and simply nods. he doesn’t need to say “thank you,” since he imagines guren won’t like being thanked for daring to spend time with him… so he keeps quiet, and lets their contact speak for him instead. ]

[swordfucker]

Seriously...

[He squeezes that hand right back, his free hand moving to rub at the side of his head with a sigh.] I thought you knew that much.

[He has to remember to check sooner rather than later. He feels horrible for it. How long was Dextera alone and worried about Guren being busy?]

[passio]

I know.

[ he knows, of course he knows, but it’s hard to internalize that kind of thing no matter how many times guren tells him. dextera learns only through doing, and it’s hard to just force himself to comprehend that guren isn’t too busy for him.

he scoots a little closer, in something that could be an apology. ]

I’m busy, too.

[ that’s an excuse, but he’s trying. ]

[swordfucker]

[Hmm, that's even nicer, and he doesn't have it in him to find some reason to scoot away. Not when they're holding hands, and he already gave in to this. He stays relaxed, resting their joined hands on their legs that are so close they're nearly touching.

He'd close his eyes if he didn't need them to "hear" Dextera.]

Busy with stuff like this, huh? I wouldn't want to be interrupted, either.

[passio]

…very busy.

[ dextera lives a leisurely life, here in town. he has no useful skills, so there’s not much contribution he can do to the daily life except to tend to his (and once, ryoji’s) offshoot garden. he’s still taking lessons from caramia, but the town is good at interrupting that more than he would like.

guren’s teasing does lighten his heart, at least. ]

Birds are needy.

[swordfucker]

[He laughs at that.]

So are the kids around here. [They've got their arms full! This weird family of chickens and people. He leans just slightly so that his weight rests against Dextera a little, as well.]

Guess that means we should appreciate the chances to take a nap.

[passio]

[ it’s a good family, dextera thinks. he loves his birds, and all the other animals he’s met as well. he loves the people here, too—even the ones that have hurt him in some ways, he may not love, but their oddities are somehow nostalgic. he appreciates their presence. ]

I am.

[ with guren on his side, and a chocobo behind him, dextera finally feels like he can close his eyes without sending himself into a panic—so he does. ]