illequipped | i make another inbox post

[It's not that Lalli was worried that Emil would land in a mess of trouble the moment their mental link disappeared; Lalli just, you know, grew accustomed to things being a certain way, and when he had to shake things up... well, he didn't necessarily appreciate it. He strongly disliked it. That, however, was then, and this—Emil's voice in his mind, Emil's dumb emotions spilling over—is now. What a relief! What an... odd sort of comfort it is, having Emil so close to him once again. Lalli takes a breath halfway across the city and feels more at ease than he's felt since, like, waking up this morning.

But as pleased as he is to hear Emil again—and as pleased as he is to hear Emil sound so happy that he's back?—he hears "room" and immediately pictures his comfortable, cozy sleeping spot. Aha...]

Mmh. Soon.

[So he's as talkative as he's always been when he's this tired, but it's fine; the important thing is that he zips back to their room as quickly as he can, which is... pretty quickly, actually. He knows (most of) this city like the back of his hand now! He knows all the best shortcuts to take, which is why Emil doesn't have to wait too long for Lalli to slink right into the room.

And what does Lalli say when he sees the boy he rushed back to see? What is he supposed to say, actually? He missed Emil... like, Lalli realizes this the moment he sees him, but that seems like an impossibly stupid thing to say after only being apart for a day; it's why he settles for giving Emil a short once-over, just to make sure that nothing has changed, before his eyes come back to that very nice face as he offers a quiet:]

Hello.

[...Hmm. Desires five minutes ago: say hello to Emil, give gift, sleep, eat. Desires now: touch that face, keep... touching that face, give gift, touch face again?? He's working on it.]

[This boy and his many words, huh. Emil makes it back to the room faster if only because he's closer; it's only a few minutes that he loiters around before Lalli comes in, and he perks up immediately when he sees him. That's nothing new, he's always making a dumb face when he sees Lalli, but now Lalli can feel even more of those happy-to-see-you feelings, thanks to their mental link. Lalli... is here!!

Emil, also a talented wordsmith, can only come up with:] Hey.

[And thaaat's... it, besides his many feelings. On some level, this strikes him as a little silly; Lalli was away for, like, a day? He's been away for days before, so it must be down to this connection of theirs that Emil feels so much more strongly about seeing him again now. The connection, and, mmm— well, he's already said more than once how much he just loves Lalli being around. That thing, again, plus extra.

First order of business besides staring at each other, then: he shuffles closer, hands going right for the gentle hair-fixing after Lalli's wild day out. Hi, hello.]

You look very tired. Come on.

[Come with him... to sit on the bed... He conveys this by taking a step back without pulling away from Lalli's hair, hoping he'll follow so this doesn't get stupid real fast. Let's go!!]

[Lalli is here and Lalli feels... better, thanks to that wave of Emil Emotions™ that just, like, sweeps over him. It's nice to know that Emil is glad that he's back; it's even better to know that Emil is that glad that he's back. It's almost enough! He could survive off this alone, if he really had to!

But he doesn't, thankfully, because soon there are hands in his hair and almost all is right with the world. He's still tired; it's why he can't stop his eyes from sliding closed while he savors this basic touch, but crawling under the bed and passing the fuck out is shoved to the back burner for the time being. Emil is happy to see him, Emil is giving him attention, Emil is... taking a step back? That causes him to open his eyes once more, because hey... come back... or just let him shamble along, sure, even if he does feel the need to stubbornly say—]

'm not.

[Not very, he means, but He Is. Anyway, sitting on the bed... is something he will gladly do, even though he leans his head into one of those hands as he does so to ensure that it, at least, doesn't pull away. Will that make getting situated a bit awkward? Probably, but it's not like he cares; he's too busy stifling a yawn as he forces his eyes to stay open this time. Silence... is good, but silence also makes him sleepy, so... seeing as how he wants to enjoy this hair touching to the fullest...]

...What did you do? Today.

[While he was gallivanting around the countryside... this is Lalli for, "Did you have a good day, dear?"]

[Yes, yes, insist about being wide awake, sure— Emil knows the truth. It does take a little fidgeting to get settled when Lalli refuses to give him a second's space, but that's fine! It's not as if Emil was going to leave him there anyway. Once they're properly seated he goes right back to it, combing fingers through Lalli's hair with another wave of Good Feelings.

Not for his own day, because it was boring, but aha— one whole Manners from his boy, how sweet.]

I... waited tables again. [bleh] I suppose that's what I do now? It's terrible, but it's not like I could get my actual job here, so...

[Whatever! He'll be a waiter in a cute little apron! Even if the food shortage cuts down on how bustling restaurants are around here, it's something. Lalli is still the breadwinner and he's accepted that. At least he gets a work shift that lets him nyoom home to Lalli at precisely the right time! That's a plus.

Speaking of his very, very sleepy boy... hmm...]

Are you comfortable? Don't hit your head.

[Don't fall asleep sitting up, specifically. Boy!!]

[Emil waiting tables? Hmm. Lalli briefly imagines, like, popping in during one of Emil's shifts, because food and his favorite person...

...Well, it's a nice, soft thought! One that, when paired with the fingers gently working their way through his messy hair, makes him even sleepier. It suddenly feels like he's made of something very, very heavy, and he wants nothing more than to sink down on top of the bed—weird!—and pull those hands down with him, but he resists; he forces himself to straighten up instead, eyes blinking rapidly for a moment as he tries to shake off the urge to close them entirely. Hello, good morning, he is fully! Present!]

I'm not going to fall.

[But he is going to yawn, quickly, before he reluctantly leans away from those hands. He needs to take his boots off? He probably needs to change shirts, but that seems like an impossible task that requires him to, like, step away from Emil... it can wait...]

I'll be comfortable when I'm asleep. Later. [Soon-ish! When the novelty of Emil being Here has worn off, but for now, as he leans down to work on his (gross) boots:] Keep talking.

[Tell him anything and everything, because the truth... is that he missed that voice, too? Wild.]

[Uhhh, haha? Wow?? This boy. Emil gives him a look, amused but still skeptical about just how awake he is, and sort of idly flexes his fingers before he drops his hands down to his lap. A moment later and he leans back on them instead, fidgety— it's not terrible, but there's something lacking after Lalli pulls away to do something with his nasty boots. He wants to touch that hair, enjoy this company...

At least he can do one of two? Hmm!]

If you fall asleep, I'll have to wake you up to say I told you so.

[Ha ha he won't though, he's not super cruel. Talking, though...]

Anyway, ummm... Well, some lady tried to order meat skin today? Just the skin. I didn't know what to do with myself. [Incredibly gross!!!!] Can you imagine? Next someone's going to try ordering steam...

[He's waited tables for like six days, and not even six days in a row, but he has Many weird customer stories already... He can keep going...]

[Truth be told, Lalli is only half paying attention to the words coming his way as he shakes off this first boot. It's less about the things Emil says and more about just hearing him say them, you know? He likes the way Emil's voice goes up and down, likes the weird way he stresses some words and rushes over others...

But he also likes... being in contact with this fidgety boy, which is why he absentmindedly tilts against him as he begins loosening his other boot. It's a practical motion, really; it's easier to push his boot off when he's leaning in the opposite direction, but it's also true that he doesn't feel the need to rush. Ignore this, because he's listening, he's listening...]

Ew. [That's it! That's his hot take! But really, though—] That's the worst part...

[So sayeth the the picky eater who probably scrapes the skin off every bit of chicken he's served.]

Did you tell her to stop being weird?

[He would have, he thinks as he lets his last boot fall to the floor and... stays where he is. Not a full-on lean, given Emil's current position, but they're touching and that's fine.]

Edited 2019-04-15 21:58 (UTC)

[Lalli can't even eat a sandwich with bread, Emil knows this about him and loves him anyway. Picky child... He hums, shifting a little when Lalli sort-of-leans against him. You know, just enough so that they're both comfortable. Is Lalli's shirt a little grimy from his adventure? Maybe, but Emil's feeling amenable to that after the very long day without talking to him at all.

Treasure this moment, because next time he has to change first.]

Almost, but one of the other waiters gave me a nasty look, so I let him deal with her. Apparently it's bad business to tell people they're ordering something awful and disgusting, but it's not like skin is even on the menu.

[Hmph!! He was unfairly criticized by this coworker! His new Work Rival... Emil glances sideways at him, then shifts again to slide his arm, like... behind Lalli, and make his shoulder very inviting for anyone who happens to be close to falling asleep. It's just like when Lalli was in a coma, but not horrible!!]

...Well, it's something to do, you know? And I don't want to rely on training money forever.

[The stipend, he means, because it's clearly hush money to keep them quiet about being forced out of bed to do physical activity before dawn. How Emil made it through two years of military training is a mystery.]

[Making someone else deal with a troublesome person is a victory in and of itself—in Lalli's opinion, anyway. An almost satisfying conclusion to a gross story, made even better by the dramatic way in which it's told! That's his Swede... without a doubt...

But while he's as comfortable as he can be, given the circumstances, he can't help but to start when he feels that arm slip somewhere behind him; it's not, like, the end of the world, and yet he turns ever so slightly to see what, exactly, is going on. Should he sit up? ...Ah. No, he shouldn't. He thinks—knows?—what's going here, and while it's welcome, he needs... a moment. Just one, as he listens to that final point.]

It's not very much. For you.

[Like, Lalli can survive off the stipend, but Emil? Perish the thought. It's partly why he sighs as he gingerly leans back against that arm, letting his head fall back against the shoulder that is very inviting indeed. He's... slightly tense? He's strangely aware of every tiny movement that Emil makes? But he's tired, and Emil is soft, and it's nice to be like this, even though he can't resist saying:]

You buy too many clothes.

[He's JUST sayin'.]

[Wow, this attitude. He should take back his generous and comfortable shoulder! But no, he scoffs and that's it. Lalli is... a brat... but this, too, is something Emil accepts for some reason.]

They're nice clothes. [He's protesting because of course he is, but with Lalli leaning against him and looking sleepier than ever, he speaks more quietly instead of yapping to the whole world. The words don't matter as much as being here together, Lalli a comfortable weight against his side. Hmm. That's nice; he didn't have plans for the rest of the day, but they'd be canceled to keep doing this if he did.

And Emil knows he buys precisely the right amount of clothes, so, whatever. He wins.]

Tell me about your job. What did you do out there all day?

[While he was all alone here, lonely, forgotten... well, not so much that last thing. Tell him all about that Adventure!!]

[This is much better, much cozier than the half-lean he had going on, but he's still determined to stay awake for... a little while longer. He doesn't want to crawl underneath the bed just yet? Or, well... stretch out on top of the bed, even though the idea of Emil messing with his hair while he dozes off is...

Hmm! He'll consider it, but for now—leaning against this boy is fine. It's why he only lets a barely audible "Pfh!" Escape him in response to Emil's weak defense. He didn't say that they weren't nice? He didn't say that he doesn't like them? Boy. Anyway, about his ~grand adventure~...]

Ran. Scouted. [A weak shrug. It's the TRUTH.] We had to pick up... rocks? For someone. Other people wanted them, but he—mrr. Guts fought them. Won.

[And Lalli was more than happy to let him handle it, because no matter how easy Guts made it look, there's something decidedly different about fighting humans. But it's fine! It all turned out fine, and so he allows himself to completely relax back against Emil. Good thing he weighs, like, nothing st all!]

I found one that looks like you. [...Wait.] A rock. Not a person.

[Stupid sleepytime mumbling, or something he genuinely means? Don't take offense, Emil...]

[At least this is more detail than, like, "yes." He's momentarily very concerned that Lalli had to, uh, be near a fight— although he's obviously okay sitting right here, literally so close Emil can touch him. A whole fight? With people??

At least Guts was there, which is not something Emil ever expected to think. At least the big scary man was there with his big scary armor and stuff. He calms down from his 2 seconds of worry but he needs more Lalli anyway, inching his hand further around behind Lalli until he can slide his arm around his waist. Hi, don't make it weird, just sleep on him while he has a feeling or five.]

He... won. Okay. [Hmm. Are... are these people dead. Don't tell him.] A rock looks like me?

[Emil is... empathetic. Soft, and Lalli knows this; it's why he wouldn't even try to explain how Guts "won" if he was, you know, wiiiide awake. What Guts did was necessary, at the time. The need to survive that ambush was the same need to survive, say, an encounter with a particularly hungry troll, but...

...But. It's still not something Lalli wants to dwell on, either, and so he stays nice and relaxed as he allows that arm to wrap around him. He's not bothered, not really, and he doesn't want Emil to be bothered, either. If this helps? Somehow? Fine. He'll even press the tiniest bit closer before lazily holding a hand out in front of him. Happier things! Emil rock!!]

Yes? See—

[In reality, Lalli reaches into that special pocket dimension his Jewel provides him, but it looks... like he just plucks a rock from an invisible pocket hanging in midair? So that's neat. What's arguably neater, though, is the rock itself. He opens his hand, letting it catch the bit of light left in the room while it sits there in his palm. Blue and gold... sparkly... this is all so perfectly clear to him, and he tilts his head back to try and catch a sliver of Emil's expression. Who knew copper was so nice? Copper and... whatever else the man said was in this thing. There were a lot of long, strange words thrown Lalli's way.]

Edited (💁) 2019-04-16 00:39 (UTC)

[Great, no murder, only cuddling now. Lalli is fine, and Emil is so very, very happy that he's fine, and here, and so holding him and looking at rocks is what he's doing now. That's... it's a rock. Lalli pulls a rock out of thin air and Emil honestly did not know that was a thing they could do, but never mind - he's supposed to look at the nice rock now, he supposes.

...It's a rock...]

Hmm, right, it has my eyes.

[How does this rock look like him at all?? It's a pretty rock, he supposes, and it gives him a nice, warm feeling to know that Lalli thought about him enough to find this thing and bring it back, but he doesn't see it. Still - cool rock? Is it for him? Is this his rock now?]

It's pretty? It looks nice!

[But what does he DO with it!!]

[...He doesn't get it. Like, that's so incredibly obvious, and sleepy!Lalli finds that so incredibly irritating? This is a special rock that he picked out because it reminded him of a certain dumb Swede, that he went out of his way to actually ask someone about, but instead of beaming back at him, Emil just looks... lost.

...Ugh! Lalli huffs, clearly mildly annoyed even though he's trying not to be. He knows how Emil operates! This shouldn't be a surprise at all, and yet—!]

No.

[He doesn't want to pull very far away, but he pulls back just enough to straighten up a tad. Look at this rock! Look at it as he brings it closer, holds it higher. It's surprisingly... important to Lalli that Emil GETS this.]

It does have your eyes? The blue looks like your blue, but—it has your hair, too. [The gold flecks here and there, which is why he wriggles his arm free from against Emil and taps a finger to the largest spot he can find.] Your hair when you're in the sun. It's bright, and it shines like that.

[This is some real shitty poetry, Emil, and it's definitely taking up the last of his energy reserves. Appreciate it.]

[What— apparently not getting this rock thing is somehow offensive, and Emil is worried for a second that Lalli will pull away from him completely and go sulk under the bed or something, but... no? No, he's just waving the rock in Emil's face, alright.]

Uh— I'm looking, I'm looking.

[He IS, but this is... it's a rock, Lalli. The bad poetry isn't actually much help with the rock problem, but on its own it's something else to behold. He has his own blue? Lalli has been paying this much attention to what his hair looks like in the sun? That he understands, even if he'll never look at this rock and think of his own hair. That stuff, the shitty poetry stuff, that's sooo... mmm.

Well, his rock is the best rock, and his boy is the best boy, that's for certain. He has no words for this feeling for a solid moment, but thankfully their mental link means Lalli can feel his endeared confusion give way to warm, cozy fondness once Emil understands... something. Enough!]

I— okay. Yes. I like it. Let me hold it!

[He will treasure this Gay Rock forever. Not as much as he treasures this strange, strange boy, whose waist he squeezes his arm a little tighter around and kind of... smushes his face into his hair for a second. Whew! Shining in the sun, goddamn!! Give him a minute.]

[Emil appreciates clothes, Lalli appreciates cool rocks—their interests are clearly on opposite ends of the spectrum, but that's fine as long as Emil, like, kind of understands where Lalli is coming from? Mostly understands where Lalli is coming from. Like, Lalli is fairly certain that Emil is still somewhat lost, even after hearing everything laid out SO clearly, but... things feel better now than they did.. He can bask in these softer, warmer feelings as he falls right back—

—or, um, as he's pulled right back? Aha. The tightened grip and everything that comes with it isn't bad; there's just, you know, so much Emil so very close, and he's surprised and pleased and... surprised that he's pleased, even though they've been cuddling for the past however long it's been. Emil is, well... nice to be close to. Safe, which is why Lalli leans into this slightly awkward hug without thinking too much of it.

But the Gay Rock is still in his possession, and so he lifts his head, locating Emil's free hand before pressing the rock right into it. He doesn't need it? He can look at Emil's blue eyes and shiny hair any time he likes, which is... often.]

It's very nice, [he says, just to drive that point home. Love him!] You keep it.

[Because he is once again... slumping against Emil? Or, well—settling against him once again, the quietest of sighs escaping him as he tries to make himself comfortable. He likes this! He does! But he's still so tired, and sitting up on his own is so much effort...]

[Love him, thanks for the rock, it will live on the bedside table forever as soon as he feels like moving far enough to put it there. He's still occupied with his messy affection, but he does take a moment to give the rock an appreciative heft, like, this will give him all of the rock knowledge... then he puts it off to the side, as far as he can reach without tipping them both over. He doesn't want to lean on a rock because he forgot about it.]

Thank you, I will. Maybe I'll get it a box.

[A special box to keep his Lalli Stuff in, like: a rock, a teddy bear when he's not using it to sleep... A work in progress. But that dopey thing he might actually do aside, he waits until Lalli has somewhat settled before brushing his hair back with his free hand. He is wide awake and ready to multitask, which here means sitting up on his own and touching Lalli's hair at the same time.]

Don't tell me you're "not tired" again.

[Lalli can be stubborn, but even he has his limits. The gift has been given, the gift has been appreciated, and now Emil is once again fussing with his hair; it's no wonder that warm, languid feeling from earlier is creeping back, stronger than ever, and Lalli wonders if it would be a bad thing to... fall asleep just like this. Not for long! Definitely not for long, but a short nap sounds...

Well! He's considering it, and that's why he only hums instead of telling Emil that he's oh-so welcome, or that he's absolutely not tired at all. He had his one very small flare up; he most certainly is too tired for another, so—]

Hm. Not very.

[Just a call back to the, like, first real thing Emil said to him when he entered the room! And maybe there's another slight trace of amusement there—the quietest hint imaginable—before he tilts his head closer to Emil's shoulder and allows his eyes to drift closed.]

Keep doing that?

[The... hair thing. It's just barely a question, honestly, but seeing as how Emil asked that one time...]

[Gosh, what a brat. Is this brat going to fall asleep right on him like this? It seems like it. Is he at all bothered by that possibility? Hmm, no, not even a little. It was pretty excellent to fall asleep with Lalli smoothing his hair back, that other time - of course he's eager to return the favor.]

Tired enough. Sleep.

[Is he smug? Only a little. Sitting here while Lalli sleeps on him is something he very much wants to do, so! He falls silent then, running his fingers through Lalli's hair in a slow, relaxing rhythm. Sleep, tired boy... he'll be right here later, honest, there's nowhere else he'd rather be.]

[This brat is indeed going to fall asleep right here, right now—except, um, not really. Oh, he could! He most certainly could, but even with his eyes closed, a part of him fights to stay away for just a little while longer. This is another one of those New Things that seem to be happening... so very often these days, and he wants to enjoy this particular New Thing for at least another minute or two. If he focuses—really focuses—he can hone in on, like, one thing at a time and... well, maybe not appreciate it, but consider it? Like the way he can feel Emil breathing, for one... the warmth of Emil's arm, for another...

And the way Emil's fingers are carefully threading through his hair, of course. ...Hmm. Down, then back up, then down, then back up—there's a rhythm there, one that threatens to lull him right to sleep, but he cracks his eyes open just a hair instead. He's glad... to be back! He's glad... that Emil is happy that he's back! Above all else, though, he's glad that Emil is here, with him, at this particular point in time, which is why he turns his head to the side right as that hand drops to its lowest point. What is he doing? He doesn't know; it's not like he's thinking about anything other than his own good feelings as he leans in and presses his lips against that palm. A quick, dry kiss: nothing too special, especially when one doesn't give it any thought whatsoever.

Anyway, Emil can enjoy that bit of unexpected weirdness, because Lalli... tucks his head back against that shoulder, closes his eyes, and acts like nothing out of the ordinary happened. Now he's perfectly content; now he can slip right off to sleep. Good night...]

[Emil is expecting only part of this sleepy nonsense, and kissing his hand is not the part at all. He doesn't know what to do with himself for a moment before he goes back to stroking Lalli's hair, resolving to not nudge him awake and demand an explanation. Perhaps he imagined that... perhaps the very intentional act of moving to kiss his hand was an accident...

Well, regardless: it was... nice! Of course Lalli kissing his hand is nice, he's not oblivious to his own many, many feelings— but like all Lalli Things, it was unexpected and cryptic. Thankfully Emil is content to stay here like this, enjoying the feeling of being so very close to one another and, you know, the simple intimacy of letting a boy nap on his shoulder. Very good. Will he think about kissing Lalli about ten times more than usual? Well, duh, that's a given.

So enjoy that nap, and enjoy the residual Warm Comfort that Emil is apparently always mentally providing these days when Lalli is around, and he will be... right here, later, thinking about kisses and rocks and the neverending curse of waiting tables for minimum wage. The usual.]

i make another inbox post

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dont ask how long it took to find that gay copper rock

on mobile and everything.....

hell is real 🐝🔫

i can't believe you would beegun me like this. anyway emil is too gay to function

he's going to die by the end of this thread... rip

he sure will

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