illequipped | i make another inbox post

[Guts turning up with Lalli in tow, unconscious, isn't really a surprise. Not because he does this often - uh, twice, sure, but Emil notices it when their mental link goes from normal to whatever the hell happened a whole day ago. Magic stuff. And he worries, of course, and waits all day for some sign that Lalli is going to pop up in his head again, which wouldn't actually be a great thing after last time— so the whole completely unconscious thing is... somehow the less stressful option?

It's not a great, fun day for Emil, all the same. Frankly, Lalli being delivered unconscious pretty much immediately takes over anything else Emil might have done with his time (though not much, because hmm, going out and getting caught in a horrible magic web thing seems like a bad idea still). He frets. He makes sure Lalli is at least comfortable, then frets some more. Debates whether or not Lalli will be irritated about sleeping in the bed instead of under it, decides two things: 1. It's ice cold to roll your comatose best friend under the bed, and 2. He would like Lalli up here, thank you— and that's... all he can do for now!

Crawling into bed and getting the bare minimum amount of sleep because some stressful, insane magic thing is happening is also not unfamiliar to him at this point, but whatever. He's having a lovely dream about pies this time when Lalli's abrupt movements wake him, and it takes him a moment to realize what's going on? Lalli is actually up after only one day? Now that's a welcome surprise...

Ah, but he's awake... now Emil is truly awake, pushing himself up on his elbow to peer at him. Hello, hi, it's been 24 hours.]

You're back! [Which is the easiest way to describe this magic coma that he doesn't understand. Boy...] Are you— uh, how are you?

[It may be night time but his Concern will not be stopped!!]

[As nice as it is to hear that voice—please, best friend, give him a second to, like, silently squint up at the ceiling and let things slowly fall into place. He knows where he is, at least, and who's beside him, but everything else is... murky. And he still feels light-headed? Ugh. That isn't a surprise, but as he frees a hand from the blanket and brings it up to his forehead, it's annoying enough for him to answer that question with nothing more than a quiet—]

Hrmh.

[Answer: Not great! He's felt better! But he's also felt worse, so after taking a slow, steady breath and making sure that the rest of him feels more or less okay, he slowly turns his head to look over at Emil.

...Hmm. Well, this isn't the, um, ethereal version that popped up in his last dream, but he still studies the bit of Emil's face he can actually see before stretching that hand out to... lightly poke a cheek. Solid? Solid. That's probably a good sign, he thinks, and yet he still pokes Emil's poor face one more time. Just to be sure.]

...How long have I been here?

[How long has he been conked... out.]

[...You know, this is more or less what Emil expected. This is actually a marked improvement after the other times Lalli came out of a strange magical coma? At least he's not throwing up! Emil can accept these dumb pokes only because he's very relieved Lalli is aware enough to poke at him again.

Pros, cons!!]

Um— a day, more or less.

[Very stressful, thanks for waking up!! If he's okay enough to ask questions, he's okay enough to answer some—]

What happened?

[Huh. A day. Well, that's certainly something for Lalli to chew on as he brings his hand back to rest against his forehead, because this new magic he's been given continues to be... so, so different from his magic. He remembers how long it took him to recover the last time he summoned his luonto, but now...

...Well, he doesn't feel great, but he doesn't feel drained. Good? Odd? It's both, and his brow furrows as he files this information away for both future consideration and future testing. It's nice to know he can definitely summon his luonto; it will be better when he knows just how it all works.

That, however, is a Him problem, which is why he latches onto that second question after a moment of silence. What happened! Pfh! Idiocy, that's what.]

The big, stupid one went into a web. Guts. [Remembering his name is a good sign, and yet Lalli still finds the strength to huff.] He was too weak to leave, so I had to pull him out.

[And that explains everything, surely.]

[Why does Guts have to keep carrying one of them back home... This is becoming a weird pattern. Anyway - that explains nothing at all. There's magic involved, he's got that much, and he's glad all over again that he didn't walk face-first into any magic webs recently, but hmm!]

...Okay. Well, I'm glad you're back.

[Maaaybe this is a thing they can talk about in the morning. Now that Lalli's awake, though, Emil wonders if he's going to roll away and disappear under the bed, and that would be... not great, he's decided. Even besides the stress of Lalli's latest magical mystery, the things that have gone on in this horrible city lately haven't been comforting to witness! He's needy and he wants company!]

Do you want to go back to sleep? You can stay here.

[He already was here, asleep, but it's good to clarify.]

[Lalli is marginally aware that Emil's "Okay" means he doesn't understand what, exactly, plucking someone from a web entails, but it's... fine? For now, anyway. Magic-related things are tough for Emil to grasp, and Lalli doesn't feel like explaining everything that happened in Guts' strange, strange memory. After he's eaten breakfast, perhaps... after he's heard Emil say one or two other nice things...

Until then, though, there are other things to consider, like... the fact that he's sharing a bed with Emil! Aha. It was an easy enough thing to let slide while he was thinking about Guts and how dumb that whole (mis)adventure was, but now that it's been brought back to his attention—hmm. The hand on his forehead slides down to his cheek, all while he blinks over at Emil and thinks about his current priorities. Does he want to sleep? Does he want to stay in this oh-so comfortable spot when Emil is, like, right there??]

...I don't know.

[About either thing, really, because while a tired part of him enjoys the, mmm, current coziness... he's also wide awake? That's what thinking does to a person. Gosh. But at least there are other, clearer things for him to focus on, like—]

My mouth... [How did Emil put it that one time? Watch Lalli's face screw up a bit as he thinks.] It tastes like... two bees died in it.

[This is, without a doubt, the most pressing issue here.]

[There's a moment, a whole three-ish seconds, where Emil has no idea what this bee thing means. Expecting him to remember every dumb, bullshit thing he's ever said is silly, but he does remember this one after a moment, and that— Lalli's magic hangover, the sheer seriousness of how he says it... well! Emil can't help laughing, surprised at first; it gets away from him a little, tinged with the relief he's felt since Lalli woke up. Give him a second, whew!!

...Okay, okay. He reaches for Lalli, covering the hand on his cheek with his own and giving it a squeeze. Boy... why does bee mouth happen to good people... okay.]

Hah— go brush your teeth! I'm not going anywhere!

[Because a) it's the middle of the night, and b) this feels like an important thing to say while Lalli still looks kind of disoriented from his Magic Time. He's here! He is here and he would love it if Lalli stayed here as well, but, you know, compromises and so on.]

[ Remembering—and occasionally repeating—little Emil-isms™ is just... a thing Lalli does because he actually pays attention to this one (1) person, but! Details! All of which fall to the wayside when Emil up and laughs, because...

...Ah. That wasn't supposed to be funny; honestly, Lalli has no real idea how to be funny, and yet he somehow made this happen and it... isn't annoying in the slightest. It should be, but by the time Emil reaches out to give his hand a soft sort of squeeze—nope. As tired, as out of it as Lalli truly is, he looks back at Emil and feels an inexplicable surge of... fondness. What a weird, dumb boy, whose laugh Lalli wants to listen to again and again.

Preferably, uh, after a quick bathroom break, even if everything about this is quite nice. Darn! Let him take a few seconds to quietly appreciate being here, then. 3... 2... 1...]

...Good.

[It's not like Emil has anywhere to go at this presumably late hour, Lalli thinks as he gently pushes that hand away from his face, but it... isn't a bad thing to hear; it's why he gives Emil's head a brief, appreciative pat before he (carefully) hops to his feet and shuffles out of the room. Stay! Don't take over the entire bed while Lalli brushes his teeth and thinks about magic and laughter and where, exactly, he should sleep. ...Wants to sleep. Two very different things he's still puzzling over when he finally slips back into the room.

But as he makes his way over to the bed... well. Well. What he wants is, in typical Lalli fashion, much more important than anything else, even if some part of him is aware that it's a weird thing to want. It's... fine; he can think about that in the... morning (or never!), but for now he only hesitates for the briefest of moments before he silently crawls back into bed. Does he have room? Give him room!!]

[Let him laugh in peace, Lalli. There are only so many things worth laughing about lately, so until the city improves its morale, this is what he's got. He's content to flop back down as Lalli goes off to the bathroom, and yes, there is room for him to crawl back into bed.

Like, in fairness, there's slightly less room, if only because Emil got stuck between two different "don't assume, it will be awkward" thoughts that directly opposed each other, but there's plenty of room for a twig like Lalli to get comfortable just like before. Don't worry; his brief awkward anxiety about the bed issue gives way instantly to a kind of sleepy delight once he's sure Lalli is joining him here. In the bed. On purpose and intentionally. Just like last time? Maybe not.

Well, that's something else to talk about in the morning, perhaps. For now: Lalli.]

Better?

[Bee mouth defeated?? Think about the many nuances of that single word while Emil reaches over to brush some of his hair back. It's been a whole day.]

I think we shouldn't go anywhere for at least another day. It's terrible out there!

[It's less about making himself comfortable and more about, like, stiffly lying there as he wonders how sleeping like this is going to actually work, but... hmm. Even Lalli's biggest concerns—how hot it's going to be, how likely it is that Emil's going to take up too much space—seem less pressing after Emil fusses with his hair in that familiar way. Better...

Well, maybe. Probably. At least Lalli is positive that his mouth feels better, which is why he only hums in agreement, hands creeping a bit closer to Emil as he tries to judge how much space there actually is between them. Not much? Not much at all, but it isn't a bad thing, given the fact that he's too tired to reestablish their mental link. This will do.]

Mm. [Yes, it's terrible out there, and yes, staying here sounds like a surprisingly fine idea, but—Emil. Emil. Lalli reaches up to softly tap a finger against this boy's cheek, because face touching is just a cool and normal thing nowadays.] ...But we need food.

[He used up way too much magic! He... hungers!]

[Lalli, please, how is he supposed to relax with all of this face poking now? Not that he's doing anything to stop him, but goodness. They should just stay in all day, but hmm, point made...]

I'll get some food— from breakfast! It's safe enough if we stay here, but you don't need to go anywhere outside of this room.

[So there! It's like he's freeing Lalli from the arduous task of getting his own food, but actually he just wants him to stay in bed so he doesn't wind up in another coma so soon. A little bit of both if he's totally honest. Either way, the menu is porridge and fruit bits for tomorrow... all of tomorrow.]

[Lalli likes this face, which means that Emil just has to deal with pokes and prods and whatever else a sleepy Lalli decides is absolutely necessary. Guts' memory and everything that came with it was, uh, gross? In many different ways? And Lalli's fine, really; he's over it, but touching Emil is still a welcome reminder that things are (mostly) back to normal.

Anyway, listen to this boy who will definitely whine about cold, disgusting porridge... pfft...]

I do. For work.

[He's... fairly certain that he's supposed to report in tomorrow night, anyway. Time is tricky, now that he's lost so much of it, but he's aware there's nothing he can do at this point in time and that's what matters. That, and this, which is why he lets his hand just sort of... settle against that cheek. He's okay now; he'll be even better tomorrow, dumb boy, which means that he should put up a fuss about being able to take care of himself, but... mmph. Effort. He settles for a sigh instead.]

...Bring coffee.

[Now that he knows what that muddy stuff does?? He's going to need it.]

[Nooo, Lalli isn't allowed to go anywhere. Work sucks! Emil isn't going to work! Which, to be fair, no one in the city really wants the Strangers anywhere, and business is less than booming lately... still, Lalli should definitely take another night off. He'll argue this point later, when he's not cozy and comfortable with a hand on his cheek. Hmm.]

Pff, what? You drink coffee now?

[Character development! Wow! It's going to be cold coffee, too, but he'll remember to get some. He stops fussing with Lalli's hair to let his hand slip down, and then very, very casually drapes his arm over him. Time... to do this, don't fuss.]

I'll get it! But you should still sleep now, you know.

[Coffee is disgusting, but... useful, he supposes. Kind of. It's not, however, a thing he cares to argue about once that arm settles atop him, even though Emil's stupid little "Pff" definitely deserves some type of pushback. Later, perhaps. Tomorrow, when his brain isn't trying to process this new and not entirely unwelcome gesture.

...Huh. A part of him is yelling that he's trapped, that he needs to scoot away, but it's a very, very small part of him. It's just... Emil! Emil's arm, which he's thrown over Lalli's shoulders many a time, and there's something—well. Maybe "comforting" isn't the right word to use, but this type of contact somehow makes Lalli feel... secure, even though he's stretched out on top of the bed instead of safely tucked away underneath it. It's a reminder that he's not alone, which is dumb? Like, he can hear Emil breathing, but...

But. He shifts a bit, almost like he's seeing how much wiggle room he really, truly has, before he noticeably relaxes. Okay! ...Alright.]

You should, too.

[It's the middle of the night? He's just saying, but in case it isn't perfectly clear—hmm. He slides his hand down a bit, fingertips lightly pressing against Emil's lips in that classic "Shut UP" kind of way. No more talking. It's banned, except for one last thing:]

...Good night.

[And now he'll put his hand back on that cheek, even though it's probably-definitely going to slide off the second he dozes off.]

[Let him talk... No, no, he's content. He gets to more or less hold this boy and sleep and he doesn't have to go fetch any coffee until morning. It's a good night indeed! He's not even going to say anything— just smile and nod a little, then settle in for a nice, safe sleep.

...In the morning, though, he will dutifully get up to get breakfast and coffee. Soon, after he wakes up and spends some time looking at Lalli up close. Sleeping close to Lalli: fairly routine, but sleeping close to Lalli in a way that isn't, like, separated by a mattress or a coma: new and exciting, in a heart-fluttering kind of way. Ah... this nice face that he likes so much, here in a new context that makes his chest ache in a way that's almost... pleasant? He's not stupid; he gets it! But boy, articulating it in proper words is way too hard. He shifts his hand up, to brush his fingers over that very fine cheek, hmm. Hmm!

Well! Breakfast! Uh, he kind of has to wiggle out of these blankets and get out of bed very carefully, so as not to disturb any cryptids, but after a brief detour to the bathroom he'll be ready to hunt for breakfast. Lalli can sleep through this, if he managed to sleep through the rest of Emil's fidgeting around, but - actually. He pauses when he's just about reached the door, looking back at Lalli. Now that he thinks about it, and remembers another time Lalli was very tired, and remembers all of his incredibly concerned feelings from yesterday, what if he just-

Casually... stops by the edge of the bed and... leans down to press his lips to Lalli's temple. Nice!! Now he disappears to get food, which will be ready and waiting whenever Lalli decides to get up and join him in the world of consciousness.]

[As deep a sleeper as Lalli is, he's used to sleeping in a little nook all by himself; sleeping in a bed is, you know, different in and of itself, but adding someone else into this equation? Beds shift in a way that the floor does not. Noticeably so. Not that Lalli snaps awake every time Emil so much as fidgets, but every now and again the blanket twitches, or the mattress barely moves, and Lalli's brain fires up just enough to go, "...Ah. Emil. Still here..."

So it's good, honestly. A nice reminder of where he is and who he's with, even if it means that Lalli is more or less dozing by the time morning rolls around. He senses Emil moving around beside him; he even kind-of-sort-of registers that light touch to his cheek (aha), but he's too warm, too comfortable, to seriously consider opening his eyes. How long will it take Emil to go get breakfast, anyway? Fifteen—no, twenty minutes, at best. Plenty of time for Lalli to continue dozing.

Which means, of course, that Lalli is still in that not-quite-asleep, not-quite-awake state when Emil makes his way back to the bed, but before his hazy mind realizes that Emil is once again here—oh. Oh. He thinks (knows?) what that feeling was; he thinks (knows?) that he should open his eyes to confirm, but by the time he's convinced his stupid body to do what he wants it to do, Emil is... long gone. It's just Lalli, alone, as he slowly brings a hand up to press against the spot that Emil possibly... kissed...

Ah, it's official: Lalli is going to die. Lalli is going to die right here, right now, in this very bed, because how can he remember to breathe when he thinks about Emil kissing him? And he missed it! ...Mostly! It's strange, really; even chaste kisses are, in theory, Weird and Uncomfortable, and yet—well. Here Lalli lies, wide awake, staring up at the ceiling as he wonders what Emil meant, and if Emil liked it, and if Emil will ever do it again.

(He hopes so? He hopes so.)

Anyway—tiny kiss, huge effect. It's why Lalli is still in the bed when Emil finally comes back with, uh, however much he's managed to carry all by himself; he sits up quickly enough, hand falling into his lap as he silently watches the boy who kissed him. Like, what should he even say? "Did you remember the coffee?" "You should kiss me again, now that I'm awake?" ...Hmm. Never mind the fact that he put Emil in a similar situation a week or so ago; now he's the one living through this mess, and that means he's going to (unwittingly) make this morning far more awkward than it needs to be. Hi, Emil... good morning... enjoy the staring...]

[Emil is lucky enough to kiss and run, as it were. He has plenty of time to feel kind of giddy and even a bit smug about his very daring kiss move on the way down to the kitchens, and while he's explaining several times how he needs to take two helpings because someone is sick (more or less) not because he's eating double servings, and while he's avoiding being seen by anyone going to morning training... Well, it's not hard to think about kissing Lalli only as much as his little heart can take. Any more and his heart would burst, so the morning is going great.

He remembered the coffee, too! He's setting up said breakfast and coffee when he looks over and notices Lalli is up and staring at him, ah—]

Oh! You're up! Hi!

[Lalli!! Emil is still a touch giddy, something he clumsily attempts to hide by fussing over the porridge some more. Ahaha... his boy... his immensely talented secret kisses...

Ah, wait.]

...What? [This staring is more... intense than usual? Hi?] I didn't forget anything!

[Aha. That's... good to know, even if Lalli is currently focusing less on his stomach and more on Emil's, mmm, everything. Does that type of kiss only happen when someone is, like, lying down? Does he have to be asleep—or, well, look like he's asleep—in order for it to happen again? Or maybe, just maybe, if he sits and stares and sends out "Kiss me!" vibes—

...Okay, no, he's being stupid. He knows he's being stupid, and thus he forces himself to slip out of bed and pad right over to Emil's side. The plan... is to say exactly what he's thinking. The plan... goes right out the window as he pretends to take careful inventory of the stuff sitting on their makeshift breakfast table.]

You— [—kissed me? ...Mmph.] —didn't.

[Forget... anything. ...Lame! So lame, and he feels foolish for no real reason at all. It's not a big deal? Or, well, it shouldn't be, but this seemingly simple thing is somehow making everything else oh-so complicated; like, thinking of a short sentence is requiring far more effort than it really should, which is probably why, after a second or so of mental fumbling, Lalli unconsciously reaches for something safe and familiar:]

Hyvää työtä.

[Good job! A Finnish phrase that Emil should understand, given his, uh... past experience(s) with it.]

[Hmm, what's he doing... Emil watches Lalli stare a bit more and then finally get up and come over, curiously. He... didn't! That's right, he did breakfast-and-coffee so good and he deserves so much admiration and appreciation for his efforts. Maybe Lalli just isn't fully awake yet! That's it.]

Hyyy— oh. Oh, right. It sounds different when I can understand you, somehow.

[But ah, yes, his favorite Finnish phrase that he's terrible at remembering. He, uh, won't remember it now, either. It's not like he has any reason to learn Finnish, now that they can understand each other all the time! Give him a minute.

In this minute, he reaches up to fix Lalli's hair with one hand, because of course he does. The bedhead? Adorable, but let him get his fingers up in that and make it look neat and tidy. Give him a miiinute...

And then the obvious Language Thought occurs to him, making him pause.]

Assuming that we aren't stuck in this terrible city forever, do you think we should learn, you know, how to talk to each other? I can teach you Swedish!

[Narrator: he could not, in fact, teach a whole goddamn language.]

[Emil fixing his hair isn't as exciting as, say, Emil pressing a quick kiss to his temple, but it's still nice. Doubly so, given Lalli's strange inability to just, like, bring up the thing occupying the forefront of his mind, which is why he just barely leans into that touch. He'll find the right words... eventually. Maybe. Or maybe he'll skip over words entirely, but for now—this. Appreciating what's freely given.

While also thinking about awful-sounding Swedish, because dear gods. Is learning Swedish useful? Yes. Will it be easier now that they share a common tongue? Yes. Does he necessarily want to? Well...]

...Hrmh. [A grumpy-ish noise, then, as he takes a moment to study Emil's face. He will do this thing if he has to, but hey, consider this:] You should just learn Finnish.

[Yeah! You do all of the work, Emil!]

[Wow? Respect his language. Not that Emil wants to learn Finnish, to be fair - it's weird and has too many gibberish sounds and everything is hard to spell! This was his idea, though, so he thinks he should get to choose...

Fine, though! They'll argue about that later. Emil hums, continuing to fuss with Lalli's hair even as he nods for him to take some underwhelming breakfast. Eat this and love him, thanks.]

Well, we'll see. [Can Lalli teach Finnish? Is that possible? They're both hopeless.] For now, I know you're hungry, you were staring at it like it's going to run away! Let's eat!

[Lalli will be an absolutely terrible teacher, but if teaching Emil Finnish means learning less Swedish? Hey! He'll consider making an effort. Just like he'll consider continuing to ignore the food Emil graciously provided in the hopes that this contact will continue, but...

...Damn. Even he knows that he's been caught, which is why he can't help but to quietly sigh. It's either eat breakfast or admit that he was thinking about other things, so!]

I'm not that hungry. [He Is. But, uh, actually? Just to prove a point, because he's a bit of a brat?? Let him reach up to pat that arm in an appreciative kind of way.] ...Kiitos.

[He supposes he can pull away from Emil's hand in order to eat breakfast. Gosh. Never mind the fact that all it takes is him, like, actually picking up a bowl of porridge to remember just how hungry he really, truly is; he'd gladly starve for a little longer, but it's fine. He's fine. He'll take a bite of this porridge, reach for a cup of coffee he knows he needs, keep a close eye on every move Emil makes while saying nothing at all... you know, normal(-ish) stuff! Yeah!]

[Alright, breakfast time!! Emil, who is having a perfectly normal morning, settles in to eat some crap porridge with Fruit Bits without a second thought. He gives Lalli a look for the additional Finnish, briefly - yes, yes, he's heard the case for doing all the hard work himself, he doesn't need a reminder - but it's fine! He remembers that one!

...Probably. Don't ask him, but he's pretty sure he's got it down. He's not going to fuss over Finnish, just like he's not going to point out that Lalli is that hungry, thanks much, because he's such a nice person who is in a very good mood this morning. Everything is... decent! Better than it was! And yet, today's cryptid staring seems more persistent, somehow.]

Really, is there something on my face? What did I do?

[And Lalli promptly chokes on his gross coffee—no, no. He does take a cautious sip of it, pulling a bit of a face when the bitterness smacks him all at once, but... hmm. In a way, it's good that Emil asked that very specific question? Oh, Lalli could sit here in silence for the rest of the morning, turning that kiss over and over again in his mind, but now that Emil has specifically asked what he did...

Lalli fidgets. Lalli looks down at the contents of his mug. Lalli considers telling Emil that he has a huge smudge of dirt on one cheek, but a) that's lying and b) even if his heart is doing that weird flippy thing again, this really isn't a big deal. He recognizes this, which is why his eyes eventually slide back up to Emil's face. 3... 2... 1...

...Okay.]

You... kissed me.

[A quiet, yet blunt, sentence, one that Lalli follows up by leaning forward far enough for him to lightly tap a finger against Emil's temple. Could he do this to his own face? Yes, and that would probably make more sense, but Lalli is how he is! And... he likes Emil's face. Even a slightly awkward excuse is a good one.]

Here. [But just in case that's not, like, crystal clear:] When you thought I was asleep.

[To be fair, he... was? Kind of? Anyway, Emil, that's the top story of the day.]

[Emil does choke on his fruit bits a little, coughing, eyes watering some while Lalli reads him his own death sentence. His secret kiss was not secret at all? Who could have foreseen this incredible twist?! He's reeling for a moment there, not sure what he's supposed to do now that he's been called out. It's like the morning after he was drunk— he's embarrassed automatically, but as the reality of getting caught being sappy sinks in...]

You kissed me that other time! And I wasn't asleep at all!

[Defensive?? Please help, just staring at him doesn't give him any reassurance that this thing he did was okay, let alone- imagine!!- a good thing. ]

:/ now the post isn't funny anymore

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